Pirate101: Book 5: The Last Clockwork
by Dr.Musketeer23
Summary: Skull Island is lost. Adam is broken. Lenora has taken over the counterstrike. After months of trying to take back their home, the pirates have a drastic plan. Able, Kane's twin clockwork, is out there. Out of time and options, the main priority is to find this clockwork commander to weaken Flint's forces. To do this, Lenora needs the crew at 100%. She needs a certain assassin too.
1. Prolgoue

**A.N.: Welcome everyone, to the fifth book! I just finished these first two chapters today (prologue and chapter 1). Hopefully I didn't completely botch it up. Again, this story will go to some dark places, but hopefully we'll still get the occasional moment of relief. Enjoy!**

* * *

Prologue

"Form up ranks!" The lead clockwork stabbed down into an opposing clockwork's body. "Deacon, scout ahead. I want to know how long we have before Blaze arrives." The elite clockwork saluted and headed off. _He's divided our forces and put us on the run._ An explosion rang out in the distance. "Get ready!" Ten clockwork dragoons raised their cannons to return fire before being blown up by the first shot.

"Such a shame." Deacon walked back up to the clockwork commander.

"Deacon, why?" He drew his twin swords to defend him and his troops. The traitor drew his signature pistol.

"He is our creator. Why should we obey someone who was created to do one job and refuse to follow orders?" Deacon opened fire. Able slashed the incoming spark bullets in half.

"At least I have enough intelligence to stand for something!" Able charged, scraping his swords along the ground. Sparks surrounded the commander's blades and he sent a burst of electricity toward Deacon. He snatched a shield from a nearby marine, deflecting the sparks. Unfortunately, the marine wasn't so lucky.

"And you will fall." The new voice startled Able momentarily.

"Blaze. Long time, no see." Able changed direction and charged at the Kane-armored inventor. "I see you're still taking orders from Tauros. And you're wearing my brother's body."

"Tauros follows my orders and your brother was just a tool. Armor for my disposal." Blaze drew his sword. "You're all alone now, Able." The clockwork readjusted his blades.

"Then I'll go down remembering what I fight for. The freedom of the entire Spiral!" Blaze pushed a button on his wrist and, just as Able's blades were about to make contact, the clockwork commander became immobile. "What have you done?"

"You're just a tool, like Kane was. I can control you with a simple flick of the wrist. I'm shutting you down and hiding your body. Forever." Blaze motioned for Deacon and a marine to take hold of him. "I hope you enjoy your eternal slumber." Blaze turned to Deacon. "You know where to take him."

* * *

"No!" Blaze shot up in his bed. He looked around and was relieved to find he was still on the Golden Archer. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and got up. _It was just a dream._ He removed his golden arm and viewed the stump. He rubbed it and reattached the artificial appendage. He felt the wires inside attach themselves to his nervous system through the stump. "Still feels weird." The privateer rotated the arm and put on his overcoat. He'd decided that since he was with the people of Skull Island again, he should look the part. His new outfit was reminiscent of his dad's signature outfit, but was gray in appearance with black trim. His black boots matched his short black hair. His faded grey eye still startled him from time to time. _Able was a good soldier. He was lucky when he got that strike in before our last meeting._ He exited the lower levels and arrived on the main deck. "Hey, Ratbeard. Hey, Jordan." The two pirates nodded to acknowledge his presence. "What did I miss?"

"Our forces are almost up to the strength we want to be at. Lenora said we're going after your clockwork buddy soon."

"Also," Ratbeard continued, "We just got a new shipment of rations and weapons from Nelson."

"Well, hey there, mister inventor." Blaze turned to the voice and was greeted by a familiar dog engineer.

"Hey, Gracie. Good to see you today." The engineer had grease on her gloves and spark powder covering her face. "I see you've been doing maintenance on the ship."

"Yeah, it's been hard work. I could use some help from a fellow engineer, if you don't mind."

"I'll help you, don't worry about that." The privateer had taken an interest in the dog engineer. _She's different from anyone else I've met aboard this ship._ "By the way, where's Lenora and everyone else?" Jordan leaned on the edge of the ship.

"Morgan, Sirena, and Brave are infiltrating a stronghold in Port Regal. Lenora has a team shadowing them. Mary, Pedro, and Riley are keeping Adam company in Marleybone and everyone else is resting on the lowest deck." Jordan stretched her arms. "If we're lucky, we can take control of Port Regal."

"When's the last time we've been lucky?" Ratbeard scratched his beard. "Every time we've attacked any of the skyways, it's been swing an' a miss." Ratbeard smashed his peg leg into the wood of the floor. "We need them back. Everyone who's left us."

"I gave Adam his prosthetics, but I don't think he's even looked at them." Blaze paced across the deck. "I don't know how to help him. If my mom could reach him like she reached me, I think he'd have a chance to come back, but he's just … broken."

"Not to mention that traitor." Gracie took off her gloves and wiped them on her overalls. "Whoever they are, they're what's preventin' us from getting a foothold in Skull Island skyway." A device on Gracie's wrist started beeping. "Conrad here."

"Gracie," Lenora's voice sounded over the communications device. "Mission failed. We're heading back. Some of our gear got damaged. Do you think you and Blaze will be able to run repairs?"

"You've got it, captain."

"Good. Noble out." The voice clicked off.

"Well, I guess we'll be spending more time together anyway," Gracie chuckled. Blaze laughed and rubbed his neck with his flesh arm. "Anyway, this traitor has caused too many problems."

"Ryan could figure it out in no time. He discovered Pedro after one talk with him," Ratbeard stated.

"Him and Adam," Gracie said, "We need them _both_ back."


	2. Chapter 1 Botched Infiltration

Ch.1 Botched Infiltration

(In tribute to Red Vs Blue)

"I can't believe we got stuck on this crap detail." A dark pirate and a clockwork battle angel were patrolling the streets of what used to be Port Regal. "Why does Flint care so much about a useless skyway?"

"It is not our job to question orders," the clockwork stated. "Flint told us to patrol the streets and keep its inhabitants in line." The battle angel looked out at the pirates, under the guard of a squadron of dragoons, slaving away making spark bullets. They reached the old church that stood in the center of Port Regal, entering it.

"Of course a machine would have that kind of answer," the dark pirate scoffed. He heard metal clanking in an archway. "Hey, bucket of bolts, where'd you go?" Another metal clanking was heard. The dark pirate drew his pistol and went to the archway he'd heard the noise from. He looked down the scope as he turned the corner. There was nothing there.

"I'm down here." The feminine voice of the battle angel came from farther down the hall. "I heard a noise." He put away the pistol.

"Oh, really? What was it? A ghost?" He moved down the hall until he saw a piece of metal fall in front of him. _A gear?_ He looked up and saw the dismantled body of his battle angel partner. He looked back down and saw a woman with pale skin, green eyes, and shoulder length brown hair. She wore a white blouse with a light purple overcoat and a green battle skirt. Her broad sword rested on her back in a harness.

"Yeah, something like that?" The dark pirate reached for his pistol, but Sneaky Sirena Jones was faster. She took the dark pirate's gun and smashed it against his head, stunning him. She took a pillow from under the metal glasses and bowls next to them and held it against the barrel of the gun. She pushed it against his head and fired a single shot. He dropped to the ground, dead. "We're clear down here."

"Good," Brave Alaric Bellamy responded, via communicator. "Now get moving; it won't be long before someone finds them." The sniper, now with a metallic limb to replace his missing right arm, overlooked the island from the steeple of the church. Morgan was hiding in the sewers, keeping things clear down below. "But turn on your tracker first. I can keep a better eye on you if I know your exact location."

"Nah," Sirena responded. She had entered a new building and was now on the roof. He saw a dark pirate on the next building. She jumped across to her and drew her sword. She stabbed it through her throat and watched her opponent drop her rifle and gasp for air. Showing mercy, the privateer picked her up and threw her over the edge of the island into the abyss of the Spiral core. "It takes too long."

"Honey," Morgan came on over the comm unit, "it takes a few seconds. Please turn on the tracker."

"Look, I'm at the local control center. I'm downloading their patrol schedules and troop reports right now." Sirena put a data chip in the console and stretched her arms as she waited for the download to finish.

"While you're waiting, _turn on your damn tracker!_ " Brave didn't like not having exact positions of his squad during a strike. "I can't see you while you're in a building unless you're in front of a window." Brave looked through his scope and saw Sirena. Sirena waved through the window. Brave was relieved for a while. Then there was a gleam of light behind the privateer. "Sirena, on your six!" A minute later, he heard a shot ring out and an alarm go off. "Great!"

* * *

"Don't move!" Sirena aimed the rifle she'd stolen at the intruder. The dark pirate was carrying two glasses of yum. They looked to their right. An alarm button rested on the wall. Sirena noticed this and aimed her gun harder. "Don't even think about it." The dark pirate switched between looking at the button and Sirena. He made his choice and moved to the button. Sirena opened fire, shooting him through the head. As the two glasses of yum smashed against the floor, his lifeless body hit the button, triggering the alarm. "Damn it!" Sirena grabbed the data chip and ran. "I've got the data I could get. I'll meet you guys back at the docks!"

"I'll meet up with you." Morgan climbed up from the sewers, boots wet from the muck. His brown overcoat filled with holes from a run in with a clockwork's spark thrower. Two clockworks greeted him as he made it out. He smashed their heads together and ran through the streets to his wife's position.

"Oh, for the love of God!" Sirena ran into three dark pirates. She shot the two on either side of the middle one, killing them. She pulled the trigger again, but she'd run out of ammo. Desperate, she threw the rifle at the last pirate, stunning him long enough for her to draw her sword. She stabbed him through the chest and slashed to the right. He fell down, bleeding out. She continued running.

"Hey!" The privateer turned and saw Morgan running towards her, a pistol and rifle in hand. Two clockworks followed him. She looked ahead of her and saw two dark pirates. "I've got those two, you take the clockworks." Sirena turned and slid under him as he combat jumped over her. Morgan regained his balance and opened fire, a line of bullets making their way up the first pirate's body. As he raised his other arm, he slammed the rifle into the other pirate's chin. He slammed back down, knocking the remaining pirate out. He threw his rifle to Sirena and she shot the marine point blank in the chest, destroying its body. The fusilier didn't last much longer as Sirena opened fire on him too. They ran again and found themselves blocked by a line of snipers on the overpass.

"This is why we activate our trackers!" Brave hid with them behind three pillars. He took a quick peek and ducked back when a bullet grazed his right ear. He tossed a machine pistol to Sirena. "Get in close and take them out. Morgan, get that gate open. I'll try to pick them off from here." Sirena noticed a dead body of a dark pirate and picked it up, using it as a human shield. She blocked the incoming spark bullets and made it below the overpass. She let the pistol loose and took out the snipers Brave hadn't picked off. Morgan took his rifle and broke the control panel to the gate. Immediately, it opened and the three pirates ran through, shooting anyone that stood in their way. As they reached the end of the dock, they were surrounded by clockworks and dark pirates, weapons aimed at them.

"You are completely surrounded! Stand down and, maybe, you'll get to live!"

 _"I figure I can take about fifty of them. You?"_ Morgan shook his head.

 _"Maybe save the jokes until after we get out of this."_

"We'll take your silence as a surrender!" The dark pirate readied his rifle and aimed it. "But I think we'll kill you anyway!" Before he could shoot, he felt a pair of hands wrap around his neck and twist. The two pirates next to him turned and saw a pirate garbed in a red pants, overcoat, and boots, yellow accents marking them. They matched her flowing red hair and eyes. Frightened, the two servants of Flint aimed their weapons at the pirate. Lenora grabbed their rifles by the barrels and pulled them towards each other, slamming their bodies together. Two sword wielders snuck behind her, but she kicked back and knocked them into the Spiral. Lenora noticed a portable cannon and ran towards it. Dodging spark bullets and stray blades, she overtook the cannon and fired it in the direction of a contingent of clockworks. As their geared bodies exploded, she jumped down to the main dock. She gave out a whistle and Bonnie Anne came out of the shadows. She activated her spark launcher and shot at the powder kegs across the dock.

"Glad you could join us, Ms. Noble," Brave chuckled.

"I needed an opening," Lenora responded. "If only someone could have followed directions." Lenora glared at her mother.

"When did I start taking orders from you?"

"You had a few years after I was born," the swashbuckler chuckled. She drew her sword and ordered for everyone to attack. Despite their low numbers, Lenora's team was more skilled than their dark pirate and clockwork opponents. "Wing, step out from the shadows and do some damage."

"Aye, aye, captain." The crane activated his energy whips and flung two dark pirates over the edge of Port Regal. Trading the whips for blades, he slashed a battle angel to pieces and kicked its sword into a dark pirate. "I guess all of those years fighting the Armada were worth the experience." Wing started to thin out the troops on the upper level of the docks. Then he looked down at the others. "No."

* * *

"Sirena, look out!" A massive volley of spark bullets were quickly making their way to Morgan's wife. In an inhuman burst of speed, the musketeer pushed her out of the way, taking the full brunt of the attack. His armor absorbed very little of the damage, his body riddled with bullet holes.

"Morgan!" Sirena ran back to him. Lifting him up, Morgan began to cough.

"You never could watch your six." Sirena wept a tear of joy.

"Now who's the one making jokes?" Sirena carried him to the end of the dock.

 _He's not going to make it!_ Wing looked down at his energy blades. _Maybe._ He knew what he had to do. Wing stood still, summoning all of his energy. "I won't sit back and let someone die when I have the power to save them!" The melee fighter's blue aura surrounded his body and shot into the sky.

"Lenora we need to get out of here, now!" Brave was covering Sirena and Morgan as best as he could. A dark pirate got too close and he smashed his metal arm into his face, breaking his jaw. Lenora had activated the secondary blade of her sword and was hacking and slashing away at clockworks.

"Fine. Everyone, to the ship." Bonnie nodded in acknowledgement and put up her rifle, dashing to the skiff they taken for the mission. Lenora put up her swords and pulled out a grappling gun. She fired toward Brave and the sniper caught the cord, yanking and pulling her toward them faster. The fiery pirate skidded to a halt and helped carry Morgan to the skiff.

"I'm not gonna make it, kid," he sighed. "I'll just slow you guys down. Leave me here."

"We're not leaving you," Sirena argued, "You're gonna be fine!"

"Uh, everyone?" Bonnie's voice came on over Lenora's comm unit. "The ship's ready, but I have a question. What's with the bright blue light?" The remaining pirates looked up and watched as a bright blue light made contact with Morgan's body. The bullet holes that once riddled his body disappeared and he stood up. Sagittarius appeared in front of Morgan's body

"Okay, even _I'm_ confused!" The personality matrix did a head count. "Wait, where's Wing Chun?" Sirena searched the upper level and saw Wing, hands behind his head, being guided away by a squadron of dragoons.

"Just go! They'll only use me as a weapon if I have my power." Wing went willingly with his captors. Lenora moved quickly with her squad and they abandoned their companion.

* * *

As the skiff left, Lenora turned on her long range communicator.

"Gracie, you there?" There was silence for a moment then the device crackled to life.

"Conrad here."

"Gracie, mission failed. We're heading back." Lenora looked at her weapons. They'd taken a beating during the fight. The blade had started to chip. "Some of our gear got damaged. Do you think you and Blaze will be able to run repairs?" She didn't know why, but Lenora thought she'd heard an excited squeal from Gracie.

"You've got it, captain."

"Good. Noble out." The swashbuckler clicked off the communicator and sat down on the deck of the skiff. _Wing. Why would you do that?_

"He saved me." Lenora looked up and saw Morgan standing over her. "If he didn't give me his powers, I'd be dead."

"It's my fault," Sirena sighed, "If I had just put on my _damn_ tracker, he might still be here." The privateer punched the mast of the ship.

"Hey, be careful," Bonnie shouted, "Remember, we need this to get back to the Golden Archer." Lenora looked over to the steps up to the wheel and saw Brave cleaning his rifle.

"Sagittarius," on command, the matrix flickered to life over Lenora's left shoulder, "Do you think Flint will kill Wing?"

"He won't. He wants us to suffer before killing us all. He'll keep him alive to torture us. We can't let it show that it affects us." Sagittarius turned to Morgan. "Use that power well."

"I will." Lenora got up and stretched.

"I'm going to get some rest. Everyone try to do the same."

* * *

 **A.N.: I know right. Tribute chapter right off the bat! I wanted to start off with something awesome and action packed so I thought, "Why not the season 9 opening of Red vs. Blue?" Hopefully, you all enjoyed the chapter. Second chapter is in the works.**


	3. Chapter 2 Visit

**A.N.: Sorry for the wait guys. School got in the way, but, now that Christmas Break is here, chapters should roll out a bit quicker. As an added bonus, I'm uploading three whole chapters in one sitting. Hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

Ch. 2 Visit

"Ah, Ms. Noble," the nurse greeted, "How're you doing today?"

"I've been better." The swashbuckler rubbed the back of her neck. "I wanted to talk to Mary. I know you've been keeping her busy."

"She's with Pedro, looking over his new eyes." She pointed to where they were and Lenora was on her way. "He talks about you, you know." Lenora stopped and turned back to the nurse. "Adam. I think the fact that you're alive is the only thing keeping him going." Lenora lowered her head.

"I know." Lenora continued down the hall. She entered the door that had been pointed out and saw Mary examining Pedro's eyes. "How're the new eyes working out?"

"I'm getting used to them." Pedro looked at Lenora. He remembered that her hair was red, but the new eyes gave everything a blue tint. "Only complaint is with the colors. I don't like seeing everything in blue."

"Blaze rushed production to get to work on Adam's limbs and eye. Sorry." Pedro rubbed his eyes.

"And the guy hasn't even touched them," the buccaneer scoffed. He looked up and saw that Lenora's eyes were wide. "Sorry, that was too far. I know how important he is." Lenora seemed to calm down. _Good. Maybe I'll get out of this alive._ "Could you get him to fix the eyes now that Adam's prosthetics are finished?"

"I'll send him down as soon as he and Gracie are done working on our weapons," Lenora promised.

"Of course, ignore the twelve year old." Lenora turned and saw that Riley had been standing next to her the whole time.

"Sorry, Riley," Lenora apologized, "I didn't know you were in here too."

"I'm just messing with you. I was with Adam." Riley smiled.

"I haven't talked to him in a few days. How has he been?"

"He's been better," Mary answered. "I was hoping you would be staying to help him start his physical therapy."

"I'm afraid I can't. We," Lenora stuttered, "We didn't do too hot today. Port Regal was a bust. And… we lost Wing."

"What?" Mary couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "How?"

"My dad got injured. He wasn't going to make it. I don't know how Wing did it, but he transferred his powers to him." Lenora sat down in a nearby chair. "He saved his life, but Flint's forces captured him." Sagittarius formed over Lenora's shoulder.

"There's nothing we could have done. Wing did what he thought was right. Would you have done the same thing if it meant someone else stayed alive and free?"

"I know that you're a personality matrix," Pedro stated, "But that was probably the most human thing I've ever heard someone say."

"I learned from you guys." Sagittarius smiled. "We should probably stop by to see Adam before we go."

"It was on my to-do-list."

"What else is on that list?" Mary was curious. _I haven't kept up with our moves as well as I should have._

"Getting Ryan back and finding Able."

"Do you really think he'll come back?" Riley didn't know much about the assassin, but she knew that he had wanted to kill Adam last time they'd met.

"I don't see us winning this without him." Lenora stood up. "Even with the little support we've gotten in secret from Marleybone, we're still fighting a tough fight."

"You didn't really answer her question," Mary noticed.

"Yeah, I know." Lenora moved a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't know. It's been a few months. Maybe he's doing better, maybe he's not. I don't know how we'll get him back, but I have to believe he'll come back." She stood up. "I'm, uh, I'm going to go see Adam now."

* * *

 _"I can't fight you," Adam sobbed, "I couldn't protect my family. I couldn't protect myself. Please, let me die!" Dark Flint Silver stood before the musketeer. He crawled on the ground, pulling himself with his left hand._

 _"You couldn't protect those you care about most. I killed them. I enjoyed each one, especially that beautiful redhead. What I don't understand is how someone like her could have ever loved someone as weak as you." Flint drew a sword from his belt. Adam's sword. Adam, again, struggled to escape, but to no avail. The dark pirate stood over him and stabbed his sword through his heart._

* * *

"Adam." A voice and a knock at the door woke Adam up. He was safe in his bed. He reached his hand to his chest.

 _A nightmare. That's all it was._ "You can come in." The door opened and Lenora entered the room. Adam's face lit up with joy, an emotion that was hard to come by these days. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Lenora replied. She looked at the couch on the far side of the room. The prosthetics that Blaze had made still lay there. "I see your prosthetics are still there. Are you going to start using them?"

"I'm not ready yet, Lenora." _That's a lie. I'm more than ready. I'm afraid._ "I need more time." Lenora sighed.

"Take all of the time you need." Lenora took a seat by his bed. "But let me know when you're ready. I want to be there when you walk again." The two pirates talked for a couple hours. Then Adam finally asked the question Lenora had been dreading.

"So how is the crew? Is everyone alright?" She froze.

 _He deserves the truth._ Lenora explained what happened at Port Regal. Adam started to frown. "I'm doing everything that I can." Lenora buried her face in her hands. "But it's not enough. We need you back."

"I'm not fit to lead, Lenora." Before he could continue, Lenora cut him off.

"You made mistakes, Adam. Who hasn't made a mistake? Sagittarius did the calculations. After everything you've done, you've saved more lives than you've lost. You're a symbol for Skull Island." Lenora looked at the clock in the room. _God, I have to go._ "I'm running late." She leaned down and planted a kiss on Adam's lips. He reciprocated. "I'll be back." She opened the door, but stopped. "And I hope you will be too." She walked down the hall into the main lobby. She saw Admiral Nelson speaking with Mary.

"The other admirals have noticed supplies and ships going missing. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to aid you."

"One last shipment; that's all I'm asking for." _We need those medical supplies._

"Ah, Ms. Noble." The dog admiral bowed. "I assume you came to visit Adam."

"I just finished my visit." She looked at the frown on Mary's face. "What was this I heard about supplies?"

"The other admirals sent someone to do inventory last week. They noticed that the crates of guns, spark powder, and medical supplies I gave you were missing." The admiral took a handkerchief and wiped some sweat from his brow. "I'm at risk of discovery."

"Do what you can for us," Lenora responded, "Even if the next shipment is the last, every bit will help."

"I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises." The dog saluted the two pirates and left the hospital.

"He'll come through." Lenora faced the witchdoctor. "Speaking of coming through, did that location spell work?"

"Like a charm. Ryan is in Hamamitsu right now. If you hurry, you might catch him." Lenora nodded and started to leave. "He's like that all the time." Lenora stopped. "When he's alone, he breaks down. Riley and I barely keep him together. He needs you." Lenora let out a long sigh.

"I need him, too."


	4. Chapter 3 Time

Ch. 3 Time

 _Just a little closer._ Ryan, now garbed in black assassin garbs with red trim, raised one of his throwing knives. A dragon was flying a few yards away. If he got his shot right, he'd be eating well tonight. It got closer and Ryan threw the blade. It pierced the dragon's side, sticking into the ground. He ran toward it and stabbed his wrist blades into its head, killing it quickly. He closed the dragon's lifeless eyes and said a quick prayer, thanking it for its life which shall now sustain his. He heaved it over his right shoulder, with the other five dragons he'd killed today. He walked back to the shack he'd bought a few days ago. It hadn't cost much and was in the middle of nowhere. _Home, sweet home._ The assassin opened the door and immediately went to the kitchen. He set his haul down on the counter and grabbed a knife to skin the dragons. Then he heard it. A slight creak in the floor boards. He could tell it was coming from the next room over; he'd memorized his house's layout. _Someone is sitting in my chair._ He didn't need any more information than that. "I was wondering when I'd see you again, Lenora."

"You're a hard man to track down," she replied. Ryan turned and saw the stern look that covered her face.

"That was the idea." He crossed his arms.

"You know why I'm here." Lenora didn't have time for the dance he was doing. "We're struggling in our fight. You need to jump back into the fray. We can't win this without you."

"I told Adam that I was done fighting for him. I won't follow someone as weak as he is." He noticed Lenora wince. "Oh, did that bother you?" He turned away. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to find someone else to fight your war."

"He's not in charge anymore."

"Oh, and you are? You're just second best and I won't follow second best."

"So after everything we did, everything we fought for, you're just giving up?" Ryan had gone back into the kitchen. "Peyton, Brave." The assassin watched as the two aforementioned pirates walked in through the front door. Peyton now had a light green overcoat with white trim. Her brown hair was now done into a braid hanging over her left shoulder.

"Brave, I see you have a new arm."

"Courtesy of Blaze." The sniper rotated the metallic limb. "Just like a real arm, too, but with permanent armor."

"Peyton," Ryan acknowledged. "Anyways, like I said, I'm not helping Adam _or_ you. If you want to lead everyone to their deaths, go ahead. Because that's exactly what will happen. Neither of you are fit to lead."

 _Enough!_ Lenora drew Adam's sword and released the secondary blade. She sped forward and held the blades to Ryan's throat. "You're the weak one! You walked away from everything! We needed you and you just up and left! Adam is struggling just to stay alive because you hid like a coward!" Ryan teleported out of the danger and rubbed his throat. Lenora reattached the blade and sheathed it. "I'll be at the ship. When you two get back, go help Gracie run repairs on our gear." Lenora left, slamming the door behind her.

"What did she mean 'Adam is struggling just to stay alive?'" The line had caught Ryan slightly off-guard.

"We have another traitor," Brave stated. "Whoever they are, they got to Adam, critically injuring him. He's been hospitalized since a week after you left."

"Sounds like he finally got what was coming to him," Ryan grumbled. Brave snapped, too.

"Are you really that much of an ass!?" Brave kicked the chair Lenora had been sitting in. "We just told you that your best friend-"

"Former best friend."

"No! He's your best friend, whether you like it or not." Brave composed himself. "He's on the edge of living and dying. The least you can do is show some compassion." Brave started to leave. "You think he needs to earn your forgiveness, but that's not the case. You know what you need to do." He opened the door, but stopped in the doorway. "By the way, I've forgiven you for hurting my daughter." Brave gently closed the door as he exited Ryan's shack. The assassin turned to face Peyton.

"Okay, next question. What's Gracie doing back with the crew?"

"We didn't get the support of the Spiral like we thought we would." Peyton leaned on her left hip. "They've left us to fight on our own. Admiral Nelson is the only one who has a lick of sense. He sent us Gracie when Adam became hospitalized and he's been sneaking us supplies ever since." Peyton moved to leave.

"You should stay here with me. There's no fighting." The privateer stopped for a second.

"No. As much as I'd like to do that, there are people counting on me, on us. I have to do what I can."

"Are you going to give me some big spiel before you leave, too?" Peyton turned around to face the swashbuckler. Ryan noticed a tear running down her right cheek.

"No." Peyton held out her right hand. "I'm giving you this because now is the right time." A blinding green light filled the room, forcing Ryan to cover his eyes. When he lowered his arms, he and Peyton were alone in darkness.

* * *

 _"Where are we?"_

 _"A memory." Peyton turned away from Ryan. He followed her gaze and saw Autumn, slumped up against a wall._

 _"Whose memory?"_

 _"Whose do you think?" The sarcastic response slightly peeved Ryan, but he pushed past it and watched._

 _"Ryan, it's Autumn. I know this isn't what you wanted." A tear ran down the right side of her face. "I know you wanted to grow old with me, but it's not going to happen." Autumn let a small grin cross her face. "I have a lot of regrets, but my biggest regret," she struggled to find the right words, "Was being unfaithful to you. You forgave me time and time again, but I've never forgiven myself. I didn't deserve your love," Autumn gasped, "But I know there's someone who does. You're going to be mad, and sad, and confused, but don't let that stop you from helping the people you love and who love you right back." Ryan moved to touch her face, but the illusion was already starting to fade._

* * *

"Why did you show me that?" Ryan shook the dizziness off.

"You really don't get it," Peyton stated. "She knew how bad she'd screwed up, she admitted it, but you still forgave her. And here you are, doing the exact opposite." _Please understand._ "She wanted you to keep helping people, especially your friends. Instead, you ran away and more people have died because of your choice. There _is_ blood on your hands, even if you didn't push the blade or pull the trigger." Ryan backed away. " _Adam_ needs you! _Skull Island_ needs you! _I_ need you!" Peyton's eyes widened. "I'm leaving." Peyton rushed out the door. Ryan went back into the kitchen and continued to prep his meal for the night.

"Who do they think they are?"

 _"I know you're innocent. Adam knows it too."_ The memory startled Ryan.

 _Brave and Adam knew I was innocent when others didn't._

 _"We did it, Ryan."_

 _Adam and I fought through so much to reach El Dorado._ Ryan finished skinning the dragon. _No. He only cared if he got there._ He remembered when Adam thought he had to maim himself to use Sagittarius. _He asked me to hurt him so we'd have a fighting chance against his brother._

 _"Did you really think I wouldn't follow you?"_ Ryan threw the knife into the wall.

 _I said that._ Ryan slammed his fist into the counter. "I want to follow him, but he's caused me too much pain."

"Is that why you refuse to forgive him?" Ryan turned around, but there was nothing there.

"Who's there?" He took the knife out of the wall, ready to defend himself.

"I'm in your head." The voice was familiar, but Ryan couldn't remember who it belonged to.

"So, then, you're me."

"If that's how you want to look at it."

"Then you know I can't forgive him. Leave me alone!"

"I'll leave, but only if you fight to help Lenora with this mission. She needs you." Ryan tightened his grip. He hated being in a corner, especially when it's with a voice in his head.

 _Great. Now I'm fighting with myself._


	5. Chapter 4 Do You Care?

Ch. 4 Do You Care?

"Okay, open your eyes now." Pedro did as he was told and was greeted to Blaze's face. He looked around the room. The blue tint was gone. Everything was its own color again.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Pedro got up and walked around the room. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Blaze stood up from his chair and made his way to the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to meet back up with Gracie."

"I heard that Ryan didn't accept the offer." Blaze stopped for a moment to answer.

"He needs time. You remember how long it took you to do the right thing." Pedro nodded. "He'll come around, but we can't wait for him forever." He walked down the hallway of the hospital, passing by Peyton, Bonnie, and Jordan and left the building. He made his way to the Golden Archer and went to find Gracie. As he walked up the boarding planks, he heard an explosion come from the lower decks. "Gracie!" He rushed down below. When he arrived, he was greeted by a large black cloud of smoke. Blaze opened the cannon ports to let the level air out. As the smoke cleared, Gracie waved the ashes away from her face. "What happened?"

"I was working on my golem." The dog motioned to the clockwork that closely resembled a furnace. Blaze kneeled over the dog and gripped her shoulders.

"Don't do that unless I'm here, okay? I created these things, remember?"

"Oh, so you _do_ care." Blaze let go of Gracie and took a step back. "I never said you had to let go of me." Blaze became red in the face. "I swear, you humans blush too easily. It's not like I asked you to spend the night with me." A smirk crossed the human privateer's face.

"Oh, that's very funny." Blaze took Gracie's face in his hands and kissed her. As he separated their lips, Gracie's face got redder than his was. "Look who's blushing now." Blaze was caught off-guard when Gracie tackled him and connected their lips once more. The pair rolled across the floor, kissing all the while. When they stopped rolling, Gracie was on top.

"We do have a little while before everyone gets back to the ship." Blaze looked over to the damaged golem.

"What about your golem?" Gracie glanced over then turned back to the fellow privateer.

"It can wait." The dog threw off her cap. "Right now, you're the only one I want to focus on."

* * *

"Seriously?!" Bonnie and Jordan had gone to talk with Peyton to get the details about what happened. They were _less_ than satisfied.

"I thought I'd done the right thing showing him that memory. I guess I was wrong." Peyton was slumped against the wall of the hospital. "I screwed it up. After everything, I told him that Adam needed him, that we needed him. I told him that I needed him." A tear made its way down the privateer's cheek. "I have a crush on him."

"What?" Jordan was taken aback by the confession. "For how long?"

"Since I first sparred against him. Something just clicked. I don't know if he felt it too, but I felt it. I haven't been able to get him off my mind." She stood up. "I wanted to act on these feelings, but Ryan loved Autumn. Still loves her." Peyton solemnly stroked her braid. "I need to bury these feelings if we're going to get through this."

"No, you don't." Bonnie pushed herself off the wall she'd been leaning on. "Trust me, burying your feelings is the last thing you want to do." The fox wiped the tear from Peyton's cheek. "If Jordan hadn't acted on her feelings for me, we might not be together today. And if I hadn't acted on my own feelings, I might have regretted it."

"Maybe," Peyton admitted, "But it doesn't change the fact that Ryan isn't coming back." The trio turned as they heard the main entrance creak open.

"Ryan!" Peyton was elated and shocked to see the assassin in the hospital.

"Hey, Peyton." The assassin strode into the center of the room. Bonnie stepped up to her long-time ally and slugged him in the shoulder. "Okay, I probably deserved that." Jordan followed suit and slapped him across the face. "I probably deserved that, too." Peyton walked up and Ryan expected her to cause him bodily harm too. Instead, she hugged him. The assassin stiffened in her embrace. "Okay, I'm actually not sure if I deserved that or not."

"The answer is no," Bonnie growled, "You left us. After all we've been through, you just left us."

"I know." Peyton let go of Ryan so he could properly respond. "I'm still not one hundred percent, but I'll help out this one last time. If only to make up for me leaving."

"It'll take a lot more than that to make up for what you did." Jordan crossed her arms. "Will and Autumn deserved better than that. And so does Wing." Ryan wanted to punch her for that low blow with Autumn and Will, but restrained himself when he focused on the second part.

"Wing?"

"He was captured by Flint's forces not too long ago. He transferred his powers to save Morgan's life." Ryan frowned.

"I'm sorry." That was the most compassionate thing Ryan had said in months. "Anyways, where's Lenora? I figured I should offer my help in person."

"She's with …," Bonnie started, before deciding to let him figure it out on his own, "She's with Mary helping with a patient here. They're an old friend. She shouldn't mind you walking in. Just head down the hall. She's in the fifth door on the right." Ryan nodded and headed down the hall. The assassin saw Mary exit a room, removing gloves with small streaks of blood. As she discarded them, she saw a golden gleam out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to face the assassin.

"Ryan?"

"Hey," Ryan sighed. "Is Lenora in there?"

"Yeah." Mary cleaned her hands in a bowl of water. "Just be polite." Mary walked out into the lobby to talk with the head nurse.

"I will." Ryan reached for the door handle, but stopped when he heard Lenora speaking.

"You asked me to lead. I'm doing the best I can, but I don't think it's enough."

 _She must be talking to Adam._ Ryan waited for a response, but heard none.

"We've lost so much. I'm starting to wonder if it's all worth it. The pain, the death, the loss."

 _Why doesn't he respond?_ Ryan quietly opened the door to look in. What he saw saddened him and scared him. It was the first time he'd seen Adam in months and was disturbed by his missing limbs and eye. _What happened to him?_ Lenora was kneeling on the ground by his bed. She was holding his hand as she spoke.

"Now I have to find a lost clockwork that could win the war. Ryan wouldn't help. He called us weak." Ryan winced when he heard this.

 _A clockwork!? No! I'm not helping with this._ He backed away from the door.

 _You have to. Set aside your personal opinions for a while._ He hated the voice and still wondered who it belonged to.

"But he's wrong. I'm strong and so are you. You're the strongest person I've ever known. You can pull through this, I know you can." Her grip tightened. "Please. I need you."

 _Fine._ Ryan opened the door and Lenora shot up from the ground. "Uh, hey."

"Ryan? You're here?"

"I'll help you out; just this once. Even if we are going to save a clockwork." Ryan held out his hand. Lenora hesitated, but took the hand. The assassin turned to look at Adam's mangled body. "This is hard to look at."

"When I find that traitor, I'm going to make them pay." Lenora's succinctness caught Ryan by surprise. "Sorry if that wasn't quite what you were expecting me to say, but no one should have to go through that sort of pain." She rested her right hand on Adam's remaining hand.

"I don't get it. Why doesn't he just use his power to heal himself?"

"We never found his arm and leg in his apartment. Besides, I don't think it's as simple as wanting to be better. Whatever his would-be-assassin did to him, it's done more than break his body." Her grip tightened. "I think he's losing his will to live." The swashbuckler let go of Adam's hand. "I want you to hear something." She led Ryan out of the room and closed the door.

"What am I supposed to hear?"

"Just listen." Ryan leaned against the door. He heard a rustling in the room.

"No! Stay away from me!"

 _What the heck?_

"Please. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for all of you to die!"

 _He feels guilty._

"I did everything I could. I wanted to keep everyone safe. I was wrong. How could anyone trust me to lead them after this?" Ryan heard more movement in the room. "It's all my fault. Why should I live when so many are gone?" Ryan pulled away.

"Don't ever think that he doesn't blame himself," Lenora scolded, "Or that he doesn't care. Be aboard the ship in thirty minutes." She sauntered away, leaving Ryan by the door.

"That would have been your chance to properly apologize." Ryan turned to Pedro, seeing his new eyes for the first time. "I know, right? Takes some getting used to." Pedro rubbed his eyes. "Not the same, but they get the job done." Ryan just stared in silence. "Feel free to say something."

"You look good for a blind man," Ryan commented. _Heh. Look._

"The tech works; that's the important part." Pedro noticed that Ryan wasn't looking at him. "You don't still blame Adam for giving you your sight back, do you?" Ryan spoke his mind.

"He did this to you. Made you partly machine," Ryan sighed, "How could I follow someone like that?"

"He _and_ I did it because we both knew that _you_ would never take them. You'd have clawed them out of your eyes yourself." Pedro continued down the hall. "I'll see you on the ship." _Heh. See._

"Yeah. I'll be there."

* * *

"Alright everyone. We're heading out soon so grab your gear and head to the ship," Lenora ordered. "Mary, keep Adam safe. You too, Riley."

"What are you talking about?" Riley stood up to the swashbuckler. "I'm coming with you." Brave turned to his daughter at the sound of these words.

"Like hell you are!" The sniper stomped over to the young musketeer. "You're staying here where it's safe."

"Safe?" Riley waved her arms around the room. "I'm a pirate. I'm never going to be safe. If you care about my safety, if you care about me, you'll take me with you." Brave shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but this mission is too dangerous. I'm not going to let you get hurt because I let you tag along." Riley clenched her fists.

"I'm not a kid anymore, dad," Riley stated, "I know how to fight. I know how to kill. I'm coming with you."

"I am your father and you'll do as I say." That was the last straw.

"Some father you are! You don't even know how old I am!"

"You're fourteen."Riley picked up a newspaper and shoved it into his chest.

"Look at the date." The elder musketeer examined the page and in the top right hand corner he saw it.

 _May 15. Shit._ He rolled up the paper and tucked it under his metal arm. "Riley." It was too late. Riley had already retreated into the hospital wing. "She's fifteen today." Lenora rested her right hand on his metal shoulder.

"You've been busy with the war. I'd have been surprised if you _had_ remembered her birthday." Brave lowered his head.

"Maybe that's the problem." He took his pistol off his right hip and quickly looked it over. "I've been so busy with the war that I haven't spent more time with Riley. Honestly, I think Adam has spent more time with her than I have."

"We're all in a tough spot right now." Lenora turned back to the hospital wing. "One day, she'll understand. Until then, we keep fighting for them." Lenora shook her head. "I just wish we could offer more protection for this place. It's hard leaving only Mary and Riley here, but we can't afford to leave anyone behind."

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." The swashbuckler turned and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Cole Strong." The witchdoctor strode up to Lenora. "It's been a while."

"Cole?" Peyton rushed up to her former captain. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, you know. I was in the area and thought I'd see how you were doing." Cole's smile eased Peyton. "Anyway, I heard about what happened to Adam. If you need someone to keep an eye on him, I'm free to help."

"Could you?" The tan pirate nodded. "Great! Find Mary, she'll show you where he is." Cole's gloved hand shook Lenora's and he was on his way. _I guess we have more help now._ Lenora gave a signal and everyone left the hospital. They walked down the cobblestone streets of Marleybone and arrived back at the Golden Archer. As the crew boarded the ship, they heard a thud come from below deck followed by bickering voices.

"Blaze, that's my boot!"

"Sorry. Just trying to get dressed before everyone gets back." Everyone heard this, and, despite everything they'd been through, snickered. Lenora quickly activated Sagittarius.

"Hey, Sag," she whispered, "Do you have any voice files that could be used for this situation?"

"Oh, yeah," he chuckled. The golden personality matrix shimmered and turned silver. "Search the ship! Find those pirates!" His voice sounded like a clockwork commander. Sagittarius' vocal manipulation trick was followed by several thuds from below deck and Blaze running up the steps, wearing only a pair of pants and armed with Gracie's wrench and his sword.

"Come and get some!" The privateer surveyed the deck and saw there was no danger. Confused, he asked, "What's going on? I heard a clockwork." Upon further examination, he saw that Sagittarius had turned silver. _Vocal manipulation. Crap._

"We heard you and Gracie bickering downstairs. Should I go talk to her?" Lenora had a slightly evil grin on her face. Blaze's eyes widened.

"NO! NO!" He composed himself and spoke. "No. That's not necessary. Just give us a minute, okay?" Blaze quickly ran downstairs and the entire crew burst into laughter. Ratbeard laughed so hard, he fell to the ground. Lenora smiled.

 _It's good to know we haven't lost our sense of humor._ She went into the cabin and saw crates of medical supplies, weapons, and ammo, varying in size and capabilities. The leader saw a piece of paper resting on top of the closest crate.

 _Dear Ms. Noble,_

 _Here's the supplies you asked for. I know it's not much, but it's the most I could get out on such short notice. I'm still working on convincing Mycroft to back me up on helping you all out. I would have put the crates below deck, but your two crew members seemed a bit preoccupied. I thought it best not to disturb them. Good luck in your fight. I'm still backing you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Admiral Nelson_

"Oh, God. Thank you." Lenora set the paper on the desk and started to push one of the boxes out of the room. When the door opened, she heard Blaze and Gracie's voices.

"I told you they'd be back soon," Gracie scolded.

"Hey," Blaze retorted. "I wasn't the one who said, 'Ready for round two?'" The two noticed that the cabin door was opened and saw Lenora standing in it. Their faces reddened and they quickly strolled away, heads lowered to hide their embarrassment.

 _Well, at least they care about their pride._ Lenora continued to push the crate, knowing there were plenty more to go.

* * *

 **A.N. : A long chapter as part of a triple update. What are the odds? Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter, so keep an eye out. And don't worry, there will be more of Adam and more action in the following chapters. Remember to leave a review (It really helps motivate me to keep writing). I'll see you all in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 5 A Dangerous Game

**A.N.: And now for your Christmas Day update. I worked quickly to get these next two chapters ready for this upload. As always, don't be shy; leave a review. There's more to come in the future.**

* * *

Ch. 5 A Dangerous Game

"Okay. Let's get started." Lenora had called everyone into the captain's cabin to discuss their next move. "Blaze. You hid Able away years ago. I'm assuming you remember where he is." Blaze leaned over the recently built holo table.

"I did. Getting to him will be difficult, but getting out should be relatively easy." The privateer pushed some buttons on his golden arm and images of Skull Island Skyway appeared. The veteran pirates noticed that there was an area that they did not recognize. Blaze pointed to the unknown territory. "This," Blaze stated, "Is Tortuga Skyway. It's uninhabited with the exception of an island with one clockwork. Able."

"Could someone explain to me what's so important about this clockwork?" Ryan was still not up to date on the situation.

"Able is Kane's twin brother. When I destroyed Kane's personality, Able revolted. His clockwork rebellion divided my forces until I disabled him. He is the only clockwork that actually believed fully in protection for the Spiral instead of a destructive force. He can't be reprogrammed and his advanced programming allows him to gain control of other clockworks. If we get him, we severely cripple Flint's clockwork forces. If we get him, we have a chance to win this war." Ryan smiled and nodded.

"Okay, point taken." Everyone turned back to the holo table.

"I've never seen this skyway before. Where exactly is it?" Bonnie was curious. _How could a skyway this important just disappear?_

"I built a barrier that cloaked the skyway. It's right by Port Regal, but as soon as we cross it, the barrier will be destroyed." A layout of Flint's forces appeared on the map. "Flint knows that I hid Able away because of Tauros; there's no way he wouldn't have told Flint about him. He'll be keeping a close eye out for our ship. We need to act fast if we're going to get in, get Able and get out. We'll also need a diversion." Lenora studied the map.

"What would you suggest," Lenora asked. Blaze pushed some more buttons and a layout of their own forces appeared on the table.

"We send every ship we have at our disposal to Trade Winds Skyway. Flint's forces will be focused on them. While they distract them, we head to Tortuga Skyway."

"This is a risky plan," Ratbeard stated.

"It's a necessary risk." Blaze tapped some more buttons. "I also took into account the demand of the Golden Archer's presence. Some of us will be dropped off at the main island while the others lead the attack on Trade Winds. As soon as we contact them, they'll send a ship to get us and order the fleet back to El Dorado."

"Who do you propose we send to the island?"

"Lenora, Ryan, Peyton, Brave, Gracie and myself." Everyone knew that losing these pirates would put them at a slight disadvantage against Flint's fleet. "I know we're doing something extremely dangerous, but we need to do this. Who knows, getting this victory may bring Adam back." Ryan studied the map of Tortuga's main island.

"You said getting in would be harder than getting out. Why?"

"The cavern where Able's body is held is enchanted. Whoever enters it will be confronted by their worst fears, their darkest secrets, anything that may haunt them. You name it, this cavern has it." Blaze flinched at the thought of entering the cavern himself. "I know how crazy it sounds, but this is the only way any of us survive." Lenora rubbed her eyes. She knew the score, but it still bothered her to put so much effort into saving one clockwork.

"Get your gear ready. We set sail in an hour." Everyone cleared the room, leaving Blaze and Lenora alone in the cabin. "What else do I need to know about this plan of yours?" Blaze's face turned grim.

"I'm hoping whatever Ryan sees in the cave will get him to come back permanently." He asked, "Who are you leaving in charge of the ship?"

"I'm going to leave Ratbeard in charge. He has enough experience commanding his own crew to get everyone out alive. Besides, Bonnie will be there if he does anything reckless." Lenora studied the map again. "You're playing a dangerous game with Ryan, though. You know that…" The swashbuckler's train of thought was interrupted by a muffled sneeze. "What the hell?" She looked under Adam's desk and found the source of the sneeze.

"Hi Lenora. How are things?" Riley crawled out from her hiding spot and faced the pirate leader.

"What are you doing here?!" Rage and concern filled Lenora's voice.

"I said I was going to help you and I meant it, whether my dad likes it or not." Blaze shook his head in frustration.

"Brave isn't going to be happy," the privateer stated.

"Do I look like I care?" Riley had a fire in her eyes. "You need all of the help you can get. I'm not going back to that hospital." Knowing she'd have to tell him eventually, Lenora called Brave into the cabin.

"What is it?" Brave quickly noticed Riley and proceeded to scold her. "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be with Adam, Mary, and Cole!"

"That's enough, Brave," Lenora calmly ordered, "We already had that conversation. She stowed away." She pulled Brave aside. _"Listen, I know you don't want her to be here, but it's too late to turn around to take her back. We'll take her with us to Tortuga; you can keep an eye on her there."_ Brave nodded and got in his daughter's face.

"You do whatever we say. If you don't live up to our expectations…"

"I won't let you down," Riley interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"I'm just letting you know the stakes." Brave motioned for her to follow him. The two musketeers left the cabin.

"How does adding a teenage girl affect the plan?"

"Surprisingly, not much. We're just going to need to be extra careful. Still, it will throw off Flint's troops if they follow us." Blaze made his way to the door, when he was stopped by Lenora.

"Just don't do too much flirting with Gracie while we're down there." Blaze let out a groan.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Lenora nodded no. "Figures." He left Lenora alone in Adam's cabin.

* * *

"So, the pirates are going on a mission now?" Flint was conversing with Cole on a holo projector. "They must have Able's location. I'll send Jinx and Kristen out immediately to follow them. You know your job, right?"

"I remember," Cole acknowledged, "Make sure Adam never recovers." Flint walked away from the holo and went to the balcony of the tower he had constructed. It overlooked all of Skull Island.

"Precisely. Do whatever you have to do to ensure our victory." Cole saluted and the connection was terminated. Flint established a connection with Jinx's ship. "Jinx, the pirates are preparing to find Able. Find their ship and follow them."

"Aye, aye, sir. By the way, our new recruit is doing fantastic. His ferocious fighting style scares even our followers." Flint smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it. Just make sure he remembers his orders. Kill Lenora."


	7. Chapter 6 Pain

Ch. 6 Pain

"Adam, please take the medicine." Mary had a painkiller in her hand. Adam turned his head away. "You need to take these if you're going to get better."

"What's the point?" Adam felt his stump. "They don't help. The pain doesn't go away." Mary didn't press for him to take the medicine again. As soon as Mary left, Cole walked in.

"Hey Cole, I was expecting Riley."

"I haven't seen her. I thought I saw her heading to your ship, though." Adam's eyes widened.

"No. She snuck away."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Brave and Lenora are there to protect her." Adam leaned back on his pillows. "What's wrong?"

"Have you ever," Adam struggled, "Wondered why you're still here? I mean, so many have died, but I'm still here. Every day, I see their faces. They stand there, accusing me. Breaking me." Tears welled up in Adam's eyes. "I am being torn apart because I couldn't save them." Cole paced around the room.

"Look, I don't know the pain you're going through, but I may know how to stop it. You might not like it, though." Adam raised his eyebrow, quizzically.

"What is it?"

"If you want, I can sneak a pistol to you. You can end it. No more pain, no more suffering, no more ghosts haunting you." If Adam was in his right mind, he would have been appalled by this idea. However, Adam was broken.

"Would you?" Cole nodded. "Thank you, Cole." Cole turned around to leave, hiding his smile from Adam.

"No problem."

* * *

"Ready?" Lenora gave the signal and the Golden Archer passed through the barrier, entering Tortuga Skyway. The ship sped to the island and the selected pirates disembarked. "Ratbeard, remember to keep your comms open."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n." The rat saluted and steered the ship away. "We'll hold them off in Trade Winds." They departed and the rescue squad made their way through the jungle.

"How much farther do we have to go," Riley complained. "We've been walking for almost an hour."

"I guess you should have thought about that before you stowed away," Brave retorted. Peyton and Ryan walked side by side, neither one saying a word.

"We're about two minutes away," Blaze answered. As they exited the jungle, a cave came into view. "Alright, we're here."

"So, who's going in?" Peyton had her sword drawn, ready for anything.

"Lenora, Ryan, you two are with me. You guys will stay here and keep watch."

"They should have done a better job then." A rustling came from the jungle. Kristen, Jillian, and a masked assailant entered from the forest. "It was almost too easy to find you after you destroyed that barrier." Brave raised his rifle, aiming at Kristen's head. "Ah ah ah." She aimed her own rifle at Riley.

"Get in that cave. We'll hold them off," Brave ordered. The three pirates ran into the chamber. Kristen turned to her masked ally.

"You know your orders. Kill her." A burst of smoke came from his mask. The lackey charged the pirate barricade and jumped over them. He entered the cave following Lenora, Blaze and Ryan. "We're not looking for a fight just yet, but if I were you, I would leave them right now. You'll have quite the fight waiting for you when we come back." The two dark pirates ran off into the forest.

"I'm getting on top of the cave. I'll take first watch." Brave slung his rifle over his shoulder and climbed the structure. Gracie scanned the edge of the forest. No one was coming. She rushed to the trees and started to dig multiple holes in the ground.

"What are you doing," Riley asked.

"An old trick Adam taught me." The dog pulled out a cylindrical device from her bag and put it in the hole. "Motion triggered mines." She began to bury the mine. Gracie gave a few to Riley and they began planting them. "It's been a while since I've used these. Last time was when we were in Aquila." The two pirates fell back and stood in front of the cave, weapons drawn. Peyton paced in front of the cave.

"What are we going to do? Whoever that is, they're going after Lenora." Brave was already looking down his rifle's scope.

"I hate to say it, but they're on their own. We need to keep this place clear for when they get back."

* * *

"Keep moving!" Ryan, Lenora, and Blaze entered the central chamber of Able's prison. They stopped to take a breather while Blaze studied his map of the cave. "Okay, we're in the central chamber right now. There are three doors that could lead to Able's hiding place. I don't remember which one actually connects, but if we each take one, one of us should find him." The three were startled by a booming voice.

"You're not leaving here alive." The masked figure from outside had reached them. "My orders are to kill you, Red Lenora Noble." Lenora drew her sword, ready for a fight.

"You'll need more than your fists if you're going to take me on." The masked dark pirate clenched his fists and three claw blades extended from between his knuckles. "What the…" Before she could finish, the pirate charged. Slashing furiously at Lenora. As she defended herself, Blaze entered the fight, using his golden arm to block the unknown's attacks. He stabbed his sword into the dark pirate's leg, but as quickly as the wound was made, it was healed again. He slashed down with his claws, but Blaze was faster. He rolled to the side and smashed the hilt of his sword into the dark pirate's head while his blades were embedded in the ground.

"Flint should have sent a better fighter." The dark fighter stood up, his mask falling off after Blaze's last attack. His entire lower jaw had been replaced by a metal prosthetic, tubes were drilled into his cheeks, spreading throughout his body, a mechanical eye was in his right socket, and half of his red hair had been completely shaved away. Despite the disfigurement, Lenora still recognized him.

"Dad?" A blank stare was returned by the dark pirate. "Deadly Kyle Noble?" His thousand-yard stare continued.

"I am not this Kyle person. I am Behemoth."

"I'm not going to fight you," Lenora insisted. "Why? Why are you still helping him?"

"I am not Kyle!" He lunged at Lenora, his blades barely grazing her face. Ryan activated his blades and teleported to Kyle. The assassin teleported into the air and pushed him towards the ground. As Ryan reappeared on the surface, Behemoth slowly got back up. "You think you can hurt me." He used the claws on his right hand to create a deep cut on his left arm. Behemoth didn't bat an eye. "I feel no pain. The only way you can stop me is to kill me." Lenora sheathed her sword.

"I won't fight you." She looked to Ryan and Blaze. "Run!" She sprinted to the cavern opening closest to her. Behemoth followed her.

"Lenora!" Blaze ran to follow her, but Ryan held him back.

"We have a job to do. Don't worry, she can handle herself." Blaze nodded in acknowledgement. "Besides, she has Sagittarius if she needs any help."

"You're right." The two made their way to their paths. "Are you ready?" Ryan nodded and both pirates entered their trials.

 _I'll be seeing you soon, Ryan._

* * *

 **A.N.: So... Kyle is back and, as you can tell, he's not exactly the same. We're really going places. I'm sure you'll all probably be able to predict what will happen in the coming chapters, but I may just surprise you.**


	8. Chapter 7 Guardian

Ch. 7 Guardian

"What do you want me to do?!" Riley and Brave had gotten into an argument while standing guard.

"I want you to stay put while I go and scout out the island." He made his way to leave when he was stopped by Peyton.

"You heard what Blaze said. He needs us to keep the cave entrance clear."

"There won't be a point in defending it if we don't know what Flint's throwing at us." He stormed off into the jungle before anyone could stop him.

"What is his problem?" Riley kicked a nearby rock. "All I want to do is help. Why does he keep treating me like a kid?"

"Look at the facts, Riley." Gracie sat on a tree stump outside the cave. "Who are you to Brave?"

"I'm his daughter."

"That makes him your father. I know you don't like it, but as a father, its automatically his job to protect you." The dog looked up at the dark sky. "I remember the day I told my father I wanted to be an explorer like him. He laughed and told me it was too dangerous. I grabbed a wrench and threw it at him. He taught me how to be an engineer. I was good at it, but I still wanted to be an adventurer. I think he had the right idea because when I enlisted into the Marleybonian Navy, I got to show off my engineer skills and caught the attention of a certain pirate captain who let me tag along." Gracie took out her wrench. "He may have been trying to protect me, but he also knew what was best for me. He knew I needed adventure and excitement. I guess I got all of that." Gracie stood up to stretch. "The relationship between a father and his daughter is a special and complicated one. Just because you've been separated for years, doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. He let you tag along, but he's still going to protect you."

"So, I should sit back and do nothing?"

"I didn't say that. I'm saying, he knows what he's doing. Let him be your dad." Riley lowered her head.

"I just want him to see that I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I hate to tell you this," Gracie stated, "But to him, you're always going to be his little girl." There was a rustling and everyone drew their weapons. Brave ran through the bushes and into the clearing. They lowered their weapons.

"Don't lower those weapons!" The pirates got ready for a fight. "I counted at least twenty clockworks and fifteen dark pirates. They were right behind me." Brave readied his rifle and enveloped the bayonet in electricity. He was right. The clockworks entered the clearing. Luckily, half of them were taken out by the mines Gracie had laid out. As two marines got closer, Riley aimed her pistol and took one of them out before it could raise its shield. Gracie charged the other one and smashed its head with her wrench. She took its shield and tossed it to Riley.

"Use this for cover." Riley took shots when she could. Gracie saw two dark pirates cross where a clockwork had triggered a mine and threw her wrench at them. This distracted them long enough for Brave to shoot them. She ran to the edge of the minefield and retrieved her weapon in time to uppercut a closing marksman. The dark pirate reached to his jaw before Gracie slammed back down on the top of his skull. Peyton tossed a gravity bomb, raising five clockworks into the air. Brave and Riley unleashed their ammo at them before the effects wore off. Brave took a quick glance and smiled before returning his focus to the fight. The sniper sent his bayonet into the chest of a dark pirate and sent his body flying into two of his allies, knocking them to the ground. Peyton moved in and decapitated the two assailants. She saw two more dark pirates approach and sent a blast of gravity out, slamming them into two trees. Riley saw this and took her shots, killing them.

"Did you see that? What a shot!" Riley was amazed. It was the first time she'd made a kill from that distance.

"Only counts if you call it!" Brave responded, taking out two more dark pirates.

"Oh, come on! That's a load of buffaloon dung." Brave smiled and Riley noticed. She laughed as soon as the fight was over.

"Okay, let's loot their bodies. They may have ammo and weapons that we could use." Brave and Riley examined their bodies and found something interesting.

"What did you find?" Brave tossed Peyton a high-powered spark launcher. "Wow. They must really want us dead."

"That's not gonna happen," Brave said with steely resolve. "Peyton, you take watch with that thing. I'm going to catch a couple winks." Riley watched her dad lay down.

 _I guess he does care._ "I'm going to lay down, too." Riley moved to her father and laid down next to him. She snuggled in close to him and smiled. "I'm sorry that I stowed away." He turned his head to look at her.

"Aren't you a bit old to be cuddling with your dad," Brave joked. She nuzzled his neck.

"I'm your daughter first and a teenager second. I'll snuggle you if I want to." Brave smiled and closed his eyes. Riley did the same. "I wish I could remember mom." Brave's eyes opened. "I know you don't like to talk about her, but I still want to know about her."

"I know," Brave sighed. He hadn't thought about his wife in years. "Her name was Sera Ryder. She was one of the strongest people I'd ever known. She never fought, but her will to help others in the face of danger was unlike anyone I'd ever met. I was just kicked out of the Marleybonian Navy. I was a nobody." Brave chuckled, "She saw that I was living on the street and took me into her home without a second thought. I'd never experienced such kindness before. We fell in love and got married. Eventually, she introduced me to her brother Alex who offered me a spot on his crew of pirates. Things were great. I'd request a week each month to spend time with her in Rajah. Eventually, we had you and are lives got better." Brave started to frown. "Then she got sick. I remember how she looked. Her skin was pale, her bones had become brittle, she could barely walk. I was angry. I had spent so much time with her and there she was, wasting away in a hospital." The sniper remembered her last words. "'Don't be afraid.' Those were the last words she'd ever said to me. Even on her deathbed, she was still trying to look out for me." A tear rolled down the right side of Brave's face. "I loved her more than anything and when you came along, I loved you just as much." Brave caught his mistake. "Still love you just as much." A snore startled him and the sniper realized that Riley had fallen asleep. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, falling asleep himself.

* * *

"Why? Why did this happen?" Lenora wandered her path. Sagittarius came online.

"That wasn't Kyle, not entirely anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I did a scan on his body. Besides all the mechanical enhancements, he has dark yum flowing through his veins. Flint must have him under some sort of mind control." Lenora stopped running and leaned against the wall.

"Adam was right. Flint is trying to break us," Lenora stated, "And we can't let that happen." Lenora looked down at her sword. _I don't know if I can do it. How can I kill my own father?_ "Let's keep moving." Lenora made her way through the cave, waiting for her challenge.

"State your name." The voice surprised her. The swashbuckler activated the second blade and held them up defensively. "State your name or be cast out."

"I am Red Lenora Noble. Who are you?"

"I am the guardian of this cavern. What is your purpose here?"

"I'm looking for the clockwork Able. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Perhaps, but first, you must be tested." A bright light blinded Lenora. "I have seen your heart. You do not crave power, but have taken a leadership position. Why?"

* * *

"Where are we, Sagittarius?"

"It looks like El Dorado." Lenora looked around and agreed. "What do you think you have to do?"

"I guess I'll find out."

"HELP!" As soon as she heard the cry, Lenora rushed to where it originated. She reached the village that Blaze had attacked under the guise of Kane. Ryan was rushing to a cliff. Autumn was barely holding onto the edge.

"Autumn!" Lenora ran forward and grabbed her fellow pirate's hand. She pulled her up and felt her shoulder pop. The swashbuckler rolled it, but a searing pain flowed through it. "Sagittarius, what happened to my arm?" The personality matrix did a scan of her arm.

"It looks like you dislocated it. We can't do anything until we get out of here. Try to be careful." Lenora moved to check on Ryan and Autumn, but another flash of light blinded her.

* * *

"I swear if the setting keeps changing, I'll never want to visit these places again." Lenora stood on the top floor of the Temple of the Fallen. Adam was pinned to the wall with a sword. _This isn't right. I'm supposed to be stuck to the wall._ Blaze was on the opposite side of the room. He drew a pistol and aimed at Adam. "No!" Lenora jumped in front of the spark bullet and got hit in her left leg. "I won't let you hurt him." _I'm going through every moment in our lives, only I don't have any power. I just need to survive._

"Lenora, you need to stop."

"No. I won't let this guardian or whoever they are beat me."


	9. Chapter 8 A Shot

**A.N.: Time for a triple New Year's update. Things may be taking a dark turn, but they'll pick up sooner or later. Remember to leave a review. It helps me get these chapters out faster. Enjoy the holidays!**

* * *

Ch. 8 A Shot

"Ratbeard," Morgan shouted, "We've got two more ships incoming!"

"Get on the mast and start picking them off. They can't crew a ship if there's no crew left." The rat drew his sword and jumped to the deck of the ship. "Sirena, Jordan, help me get these poor excuses for pirates off our ship." Each drew their respective weapons and viciously slashed at the boarding dark pirates.

"Heads up!" Bonnie tossed Jordan her spark pistol and the buccaneer blasted a hole right through a dark pirate's head. Bonnie steered the ship to the left, facing the cannons to the enemy vessel. "All cannons, fire!" The sound of cannon fire could be heard all throughout the skyway, but they watched happily as the nearest vessel was blown to smithereens.

"Clear!" Morgan watched the dark pirates and clockworks descend into the Spiral Core. He turned around in the crow's nest and found a target on an allied ship. He took out the dark pirate, saving the privateer's life. "We got a boarded ship to our right!"

"They're on their own! Bonnie, you and Jordan board one of the incoming ships and take them out." Ratbeard continued barking orders as Morgan descended from the mast.

"But they're going to be taken out!"

"That's war, Morgan. Get used to it." The musketeer leaned on the edge of the ship. "I'm sorry, but we can't save everyone."

"So, what? We just watch them burn?" Morgan pushed himself back up and stomped to Ratbeard.

"You think this is easy for me? I've had to watch more friends die than clockworks." Ratbeard walked away. "Prepare for broadside combat. You're going with Bonnie and Jordan."

"Get down!" Sirena ducked at a cannon ball flew by the mast of the ship, barely missing it. The privateer got back up and saw a dark pirate with what looked like a spark thrower connected to a canister on her back. "What is that?" The dark pirate laughed.

"Burn!" She pulled the trigger and a fountain of flames spread across the deck of the ship.

"Jordan, put out that fire." The buccaneer sent out a stream of ice, saving the ship from becoming kindling. She solidified her body and jumped to the opposite deck. She swung her scythe to the left, ripping a clockwork battle angel in half.

"Morgan, take the shot!" The musketeer looked down his scope and saw that the flamethrower's tank had a leak. He steadied his rifle and took the shot. As soon as Jordan heard the gun go off, she jumped back to their ship. The explosion propelled her back to the ship faster than intended. The buccaneer stabbed her scythe into the floor boards to slow her speed, stopping right by the edge. "That was a close one." Bonnie rushed to her and brushed off the spark powder from her face. "I'm fine, really." Jordan aimed her pistol at the other ship and took out a dragoon. "We don't get breaks." The two pirates jumped ship and engaged the mechanical crew. Bonnie turned her Sparquebus into a massive hammer and smashed a fallen marine's head in. Jordan threw her scythe, cutting the crew down to size.

"I know we're basically cannon fodder, but this is still fun." Bonnie slammed another clockwork into the Spiral Core. She shifted her rifle into an axe and decapitated a dark buccaneer.

"Just because we're a distraction doesn't mean we can't do some real damage!" Ratbeard used his sword to melt through a marine's shield and severed its limbs. "Get back to the ship. We'll blow them out of the sky!" The musketeer and buccaneer retreated in time for their cannons to open fire. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

* * *

"Cole, welcome back," Mary greeted. "How was your day in town?"

"Good. The walk was nice." Cole had hidden a pistol in his boot. "Although, I did see a dog beaten up in one of the alley ways nearby. He was talking crazy; I don't know what happened, but it looked bad."

"Where were they?" Cole gave the witchdoctor directions and she was off.

 _Too easy._ Cole walked to Adam's room and entered. "Hello, Captain Silver."

"Cole. Did you get it?" He removed the pistol from his boot. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to do it or do you want to do it yourself?" Adam thought about it.

"I have to be the one to do it. I need to end it." Cole handed the pistol to Adam, trigger first. Adam took the gun and examined it. _Only I can end this._ "Can you give me some time?"

"Take all of the time you need." Cole left the room, leaving Adam alone.

"I can't live with these visions anymore." Adam checked the barrel. _A full clip of six shots. Detachable silencer. This is a great gun._ He readied the pistol and held it against the left side of his head. Tears rolled down the left side of his face. _I'm sorry, Lenora. I can't go on anymore._ The musketeer tightened his grip on the gun and screamed as a single gunshot rang through his room.


	10. Chapter 9 Ryan's Trial Part 1

Ch. 9 Ryan's Trial: Part 1

"I can't believe I'm doing this for Adam." Ryan continued down his tunnel. "After all the pain he's caused in my life, I'm still doing his dirty work."

"What is your name?" The voice echoed through the tunnel.

"What the heck?"

"What is your name?"

"I am Witty Ryan Dodger. Assassin and pirate." Ryan activated his hidden blades. _This had better not be a trap._

"I am the Guardian. Are you ready for your trial?"

"I'd rather not put up with something as trivial as this to find a clockwork, but I'll bite." The cave shook, rocks falling from the roof of the cave.

"You do not seek this clockwork. You'd rather see it destroyed."

"Call it the result of some bad relations." The floor came out from under Ryan, who stuck his blades into the wall to keep from falling in. "And you'll have to do better than that to take me out."

"I have seen your heart. It once had pure intentions, but is now beset by wickedness. Why do you refuse to help those who rely upon your support? Would their deaths make you feel better?" A flash of light blinded Ryan and he fell into the pit. He landed with a loud thud.

"Ow. My head." As he stood up, he brushed the dirt off his clothes. He examined the terrain. _It's a pitfall trap. I just need to climb out._ He reactivated his blades and began to climb. He neared the top, but a blast of wind sent him flying back down. "Again?! Seriously?!" The assassin attempted to climb again with the same results. "Fine. I'll play your game 'Guardian.'" The assassin sat down and waited for whatever came next.

 _I told you that I'd be seeing you soon._ Ryan stood up and activated his blades again.

"Show yourself!" Footsteps moved behind him. He turned around as a white figure moved in the shadows. "Who are you?"

"Does my voice not give it away?" The figure continued to travel in darkness. "After all those years together, you forgot me so easily?" Ryan stood his ground and the figure came out of the shadows. "I'd have thought our wedding night would have made our love eternal." The assassin deactivated his blades.

"Autumn?" He reached right hand to touch her face. It was warm. "Is that really you?" The spirit rested her head on Ryan's shoulder.

"Yes. It's really me." She smiled.

"But, why?" Ryan pushed her away for a second. "Why are you haunting me? Adam should be the one haunted by you. He got you killed."

"Did he, Ryan? Did he really?" Autumn's body seemed to solidify the closer she was to Ryan.

"He got Will killed. He got you killed."

"No, he didn't! You know that." Autumn pushed Ryan away. He was shocked. "He tried to protect us. He wanted us all to have a home on Skull Island. You know the truth." Ryan couldn't look her in the eyes. "Flint got us killed. It was his lieutenant's bullet that killed Will. It was Hannah's sword that killed me. All of them serve Flint."

"You wouldn't have died if Adam had just surrendered."

"Really?" Autumn extended her left arm and a flash of light filled the pit.

* * *

"Where are we?"

"Skull Island. If Adam had bowed to Flint's will." Ryan saw every building burnt to the ground. Wooden spikes extended toward the sky. Upon each spike rested a head. He saw his face, he saw Autumn's face, and everyone else's face, resting upon each spike. Adam knelt in front of Flint.

"As fun as this has been, I'll be glad to be rid of you." Adam didn't say a word as Flint's sword severed his head from his body. His head rolled across the ground, stopping at Ryan's feet. The assassin kneeled to examine his former comrade's head when he started to talk.

"Why did you leave? Did you hate me that much?" Frightened, Ryan fell to the ground and scrambled away. Adam's decapitated corpse rose, picking up its head and placing it back on its neck. "I needed you, and you abandoned me." As the body moved closer, the setting changed to the hospital Ryan had last seen Adam in. Seeming to know what Ryan was thinking, Adam's body changed to match the setting. His right arm, eye, and left leg disappeared and he laid on a hospital bed. "I have been torn apart. Maybe I would have ended up like this either way, but maybe not. You left. You said that if we'd surrendered, everyone would have lived. You were wrong." Ryan activated his blades and charged the mutilated pirate.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He tried to stab Adam, but he ran right through the cripple. Autumn grabbed Ryan's shoulder, turning him around. "What!? He is egging me on!"

"He's telling you the truth." Autumn burst into light and Ryan was transported back into the pit.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Ryan had broken into a cold sweat.

"You wanted to know what would have happened. That's it. We would have all been dead. Adam may have lost me and Will, but he saved everyone else." Ryan was already trying to scale the pit. "If I may, try using this." The phantom privateer held a pure black sword with a silver outline. "Its name is Dark Elucidator." Ryan took the sword and the answer to his predicament became obvious.

"I need to teleport out of this hole." The assassin's aura surrounded him and he found himself back in the main tunnel. He continued down the hall, the sword seeming to guide him the right way. Ryan entered a large chamber, a bit smaller than the central one. "If this is all that my trial is, I can live with that." He scanned the room and noticed it was empty. _Where's that clockwork?_

"He's not here." Ryan steadied the sword and faced an armor-clad Autumn. "You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" Ryan lowered his guard and Autumn struck. Her sword opened an old wound on his left leg. He reached to cover it, but readied his sword.

"You?" Autumn paced around her husband. "Why you?"

"Because," Autumn stated, "I'm the one who haunts you the most." Autumn charged and sent Ryan flying into the wall with a blast of gravity. The swashbuckler took a defensive stance.

"I won't fight you, Autumn." The privateer swung her sword through the air.

"That's a problem, because you have to beat me to find your answers." Autumn drew a pistol and opened fire.


	11. Chapter 10 Reason

Ch. 10 Reason

"So, now I'm talking to myself." Blaze traveled down his corridor. He turned a corner, expecting something to jump out at him. Nothing happened. "You wanted to lock this guy away forever, but didn't think about having to go get him." The privateer drew his pistol as he heard a voice calling from the distance.

"What is your name, pirate?" Blaze looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Ok, forget it, let me break it down for you. I'm the Guardian and I already know everything about you. You're going to be tested. I'm sick of you pirates readying your weapons to fight me when I don't have a physical form."

"Sorry," Blaze apologized. "My name is Merciful Blaze Silver. I created Able and, now, I need him back." There was no immediate response to Blaze's statement. Confused, Blaze continued down the passageway. "Hello?"

"You," said the Guardian, "You are the first one who's intentions are not veiled by personal endeavors. It is …. odd." Blaze continued down the hall.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes." A wall opened, revealing a hidden passage way that didn't appear on Blaze's map. "I won't waste your time on a trial meant to find your truth. You already know it." Blaze went to the opening. "But," the Guardian interrupted, "If you don't mind me asking, how are you dealing with it?"

"I'm not. Knowing that darkness exists inside me every day, it tears me apart. There are days where I wish I didn't have to deal with it, but I know why I'm still dealing with it." Blaze looked at his golden arm. "I'm still going because I have people that depend on me. My parents are dead, but they still want me to end this nightmare. My brother is maimed, but I must give him a future worth living for. I've caused untold pain and death for the Spiral. I need to make things right." His golden fist clenched. "That's why I'm still alive. That's why I'm fighting. I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this so others can live."

"That is a noble cause," the Guardian stated. "Proceed." Blaze entered the alternate route, grateful.

* * *

"Send this shipment to these coordinates." Admiral Nelson handed a pad of paper with a shipping manifest to a dog officer. "Make sure no one catches you." The dog saluted and left. Nelson looked down at the stack of papers that remained on his desk. _I never should have agreed to take a desk job._ He signed various supply requests and inventory reports. The dog admiral was startled by a knock at the door. "The door is open." Mycroft Bones entered. "Mycroft. I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?" Mycroft sauntered up to Nelson's desk. A frown covered the dog officer's face. "Is something wrong?"

"I know, Nelson."

"Yes," Nelson responded, "I admit it. I haven't been filling out the forms that the board has given me, but I'm catching up on it." Admiral Nelson held out a stack of papers to Mycroft. "I'll have the rest done by tomorrow."

"No, Nelson," Mycroft corrected, "I _know._ " Nelson realized his ruse was up. "Smuggling supplies to Skull Island's forces. Did you really think that many weapons and rations would go unnoticed?" Nelson set down the stack of papers.

"Honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long to do something about it." Nelson stood up from his desk. "I thought the Marleybonian Navy was supposed to have top security. I guess I proved that claim wrong."

"Dammit, Nelson." Mycroft slammed his fist into the desk. "We all reached an agreement. This is the pirates' fight; not ours!"

"No!" Nelson pointed his remaining index finger at Mycroft. "You and the rest of the Council agreed to leave them to die. You all hid behind the fear of what this 'Flint' would do to our realms." Nelson couldn't look his friend in the eyes. He turned around. "Do you know how much those 'pirates' have done for us? How many of them have died so that we can live? They have honor."

"They're dangerous."

"They're heroes," Nelson interrupted. "If I could have, I'd have given every last one of them a medal."

"Is that why you betrayed her majesty's Navy? For hero worship?" Nelson grinned.

"No. That's not why." Nelson stepped out from behind his desk. "I aided them because it was the right thing to do. I've been giving them the bare minimum of what we all should be giving them. Our troops should be fighting alongside them to take back their home. The fight with Kane wasn't their fight, just like the fight with Flint isn't ours. But what did they do? They fought. They stood by us in our hours of need. We need to stand by them now." Mycroft didn't say a word. He just whistled and two redcoats entered Nelson's office.

"Admiral Nelson," Bones recited, "By the order of Marleybone's admiralty board, for treason against her majesty's royal navy and the smuggling of military supplies, you are hereby under arrest. You can come quietly or we will have to use force."

 _I could do it. I could fight my way out._ He studied his opponents. They were better equipped and could surround him in a second's notice. "I'll come quietly." The dog placed his hands behind his back and growled as the restraints clamped around his wrists.

"I never expected this from you, Nelson."

"Of course you did. You just can't accept that I did what was right." The redcoats hauled the former admiral out of his office. Mycroft studied the papers that rest on Nelson's desk. It was a list of reports from Skull Island.

"Two hundred dead, three hundred injured, fifty ships destroyed, running low on rations. God, is this really happening?" There was an open letter at the edge of the desk. _Ms. Noble._

 _Dear Admiral,_

 _Thank you for your latest shipment of weapons and rations. I know it isn't a lot, but we're extremely grateful. After everything that has happened with Adam and Flint, your support is enough for now. Unfortunately, Adam hasn't gotten any better, but we have a plan that should cripple Flint's forces and get Adam back in action. We don't know if you can help us, but we'll be sending most of our forces to attack Trade Winds Skyway. We don't want you to waste your forces on a distraction attack, but if you have a ship to spare, please, after everything Adam has done for Marleybone, help us._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Red Lenora Noble_

"A distraction attack?" Mycroft set down the letter. "I don't know what game you're playing Lenora, but whatever you do, be careful." At that moment, a redcoat swordsman came rushing into the office.

"Sir!"

"What is it?" The dog stopped to catch his breath.

"Three ships just left the docks without proper clearance. We tried to stop them, but they were already out of range of our stationary cannons."

"What type of ships did they take?"

"One cargo ship carrying weapons and ammo and two battleships. It seemed like they were expecting a fight."

 _That dog that left the office. Nelson._ "Let them go. We can live without three ships." The dogs left the office. _I hope you know what you're doing Nelson._


	12. Chapter 11 Power

**A.N.: First upload of 2017! Things get really intense in these next few chapters. I was thinking this story would be longer than twenty chapters, but I'm thinking that won't be the case. Who knows? Maybe it'll take that long. Anyways, enjoy the double upload. And remember to leave a review.**

* * *

Ch. 11 Power

"Lenora, you need to rest." The personality matrix did a scan of her body as she panted heavily, having just exited combat with twenty dark pirates. Blood covered her sword. "You're fatiguing yourself. You're no good if you're tired."

"I'm no good if I stop now." Lenora put away her sword and continued down the hall. "My dad might catch up to us any second now. I can't let him reach us before we get to Able."

"Too late, pirate." Kyle stood behind her, claws extended, a blood lust filling his eyes. Lenora drew her sword, but Kyle was faster. He stabbed his right claw into Lenora's left arm and disarmed her with his left. "Flint says you must be eliminated. I never disobey a direct order." Lenora jumped back, Kyle's claw violently exiting her arm. Blood dripped from the holes as she stumbled backwards.

"Dad, please."

"I'm not your father. My name is Behemoth."

"You're wrong. My father is still in there." Lenora took a pistol off her belt and tossed it to Behemoth. "You told me that Flint sent you to kill me after that first attack. You said you couldn't pull the trigger." Lenora extended her arms. "If you're really gone, I won't stop you from killing me." The dark pirate cocked the gun and aimed at Lenora. The swashbuckler closed her eyes and waited.

"I… I have to do this. These are my orders." The gun shook in Kyle's hand. Lenora's eyes opened and he saw a tear run down Kyle's face. "No. I promised myself I wouldn't hurt you again." Kyle moved his right arm to force his left down.

"Fight it dad!" Lenora smiled. "You can beat this!" Kyle extended his claws and started to violently slash the air around him. An explosion of dark energy erupted from his body and the shadow that surrounded him disappeared for a moment. The swashbuckler shook off the dizziness and looked at his daughter, his eyes returned to normal.

"Lenora." The young pirate rushed over and hugged him. "I don't have long. I need to tell you something." Lenora ended the embrace and payed close attention. "Flint is gearing up to attack all of the realms. I don't know exactly when, but you need to be ready. You need to get Able out as fast as you can. Do you understand?" Lenora nodded. "Go. Finish your trial." Lenora started down the hall, but stopped.

"What are you going to do?" Kyle picked up the pistol.

"I won't let Flint control me anymore. I won't let myself hurt you again." He held the gun to his head. "You don't need to see this. Go and don't look back." Lenora took one last look at him and ran. "I'll be watching over you, Lenora." He pulled the trigger.

* * *

Lenora ran. Even when she heard the gunshot, she didn't stop. She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. She rested against the cave wall and cried.

"Lenora, it'll be alright." The swashbuckler swatted at the personality matrix.

"I'm sick of hearing that. Just admit it; we are losing. We're losing with no way out!" Sagittarius hovered over her legs.

"If that's true, why are you here?" Lenora stared at the golden figure. "Ratbeard told me. Back on El Dorado when we were fighting Blaze, you convinced everyone to go after Adam and fight. You took charge and saved his life. Hell, you agreed to take over as leader. If you didn't want any of this, why be in charge?" Lenora looked at her feet, then to her sword.

"I guess I took charge because someone needed to step up. No one else was going to." She looked to the roof of the cave. "I wanted to prove my value to everyone. After that, it became more than that. I wanted to protect everyone. They became part of my family and, like Adam, I didn't want anything to happen to them. When I saw what the traitor did to him, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how I could take control of all this. Then Adam said he couldn't think of anyone better for the job. I wanted to say no because I didn't know how to deal with it, but I saw the pain in his eyes." Lenora stood up. "That's what you wanted to know, right Guardian?" Lenora drew her sword. "You wanted to know why I took this job even though I didn't want it. Well, here's why: I'm leading so that those who truly deserve power can live and those without it can, one day, rise to the occasion. I'm leading because Adam taught me what it truly takes to be a leader." She held her sword to the cave ceiling. "Power isn't something you can just take, like Flint thinks; you have to earn it. I don't know what I did to deserve the powers I have, but I'm going to use it to end his darkness!" The cave shook, small stones falling from the ceiling.

"I have seen your heart. Your trial is over." A cloud formed over Lenora and a golden bolt of lightning struck her sword. As electricity enveloped her body, her red aura appeared. She struggled to stay standing, but didn't falter.

 _I've come too far to be beaten by a bolt of lightning._ The golden electricity enveloped her, shifting her aura. She sent out a burst of flames to quell the pain. The electricity disappeared and her aura shift was complete. A golden energy surrounded her. She lowered her sword and fell to the ground. "What happened?"

"I'm scanning you now." Sagittarius ran the scan and was surprised. "Your energy; it's changed. Charge up your aura." She did as she was told and saw her body become enveloped by Golden energy.

"How is this possible?" Lenora didn't have time to contemplate. She heard explosions ring out from outside the cavern. "We need to go, now." Lenora tried to run, but a wound in her leg opened up. "Crap!"

"Golden energy, remember?" The swashbuckler sighed and activated her new powers. The wounds she'd received throughout her trial healed and she was on her way.

"Let's hope one of the others got Able."

* * *

 **A.N.: Weren't expecting any of that, were you? There's more surprises to come along with two more tribute chapters. Get ready for nostalgia and tears.**


	13. Chapter 12 Ryan's Trial Part 2

Ch.12 Ryan's Trial (Part 2)

"Autumn, please stop!" Ryan blocked an attack on his legs. He rolled back to dodge a crushing blow. "I won't fight you!"

"You have to!" Autumn unleashed a burst of gravity, sending Ryan flying into the wall. "At least until you admit the truth." Autumn propelled herself forward, ready to stab Ryan. The assassin leaned out of the way and teleported across the room. He drew some throwing knives and scattershot them toward his wife.

"What truth?" Autumn threw her sword and caught Ryan's right sleeve. The tear merely annoyed Ryan. He threw his own sword and caught Autumn in a kink in her armor. He activated his gauntlets and ran along the wall. Autumn redrew her pistol and shot, but Ryan deflected the bullets with his blades. He picked up his sword and projected his aura on the blade. Enveloped by his purple aura, the sword teleported. Reappearing behind Autumn, the privateer defended the attack and watched as the blade disappeared again. That was when Ryan attacked. He stabbed his blades into Autumn's shoulders. In pain, she dropped her sword and yielded on the ground. Ryan's new sword reappeared in his hands and he held it by Autumn's face.

"You know what I'm talking about." Autumn leaned on her elbows, sword still resting by her face. "I want you to admit it." Ryan's chest heaved as he put away his weapon. He knew that she knew his secret.

"I never forgave you for what happened with Pedro. You said you'd never love anyone as much as you loved me, but as soon as I was gone you went to him." Ryan clenched his fists. "I was completely devoted to you. I did everything for you. When Pedro told me what had happened between you two, I didn't want to look at you. How could I? I bit my tongue and put on an act to make you feel better." Tears started to flow from his eyes. "Then I almost lost you and the act started to fade. I wanted to forgive you. After everything, I wanted to forgive you. I never got that chance because you died. Because Flint killed you. Because I wasn't strong enough to protect you."

"So you took it out on Adam?"

"He was my friend. He was our leader. He gave out the orders. I needed someone to blame and I guess I chose him." He looked at the sword Autumn had given him. "What did you say the name of this sword was again?"

"It's Dark Elucidator." Autumn stood up, holding her arms. "Elucidate means to make clear or shine light upon."

"You gave me this to open up my eyes, didn't you?"

"Guilty."

"Even dead, you're making me stronger." Ryan drew the sword and spun it through the air. "I have never seen more clearly than I have now." The swashbuckler held the sword to the ceiling. "I understand now, Guardian. It's time I made good on my promise to help others. I know what my reward is. Now, tell me, who betrayed Skull Island? Who hurt my best friend? Who broke Adam?" A single name rang throughout the cave.

"Cole Strong." A flash of light spread throughout the cave and the damage from the fight disappeared. Autumn's armor was gone as she stood before Ryan in a plain white dress.

"So," Autumn sighed, "I guess this is goodbye."

"Just for a while," Ryan consoled. Autumn touched her right hand to his face.

"Just promise me one thing." Ryan listened. "Don't rush to see me. You have a long life to live, I've seen it. Someone loves you. Don't be blind; give them a chance."

"I promise." Ryan turned to leave, but Autumn held onto his shoulder.

"Also, make sure Flint pays for the deaths he's caused." Ryan grinned.

"I will. You can be sure of that." Autumn let go of him and the assassin walked away. He stopped a few feet away from the exit. "If this is the last time I see you, I want you to know something." Ryan pulled out the broken ends of his old daggers. "I'll never forget you. And, I forgive you." He dropped the hilts and walked out of the room. Autumn reached for him, but through better of it.

"I love you, Ryan. Please be safe." The room shook and started to collapse. Autumn slowly faded away as Ryan disappeared from view.

* * *

 **A.N.: And there we have it. The end of Ryan's Trial. I didn't know if I wanted to end this arc yet, but it made sense to end it here. This won't be Autumn's last appearance, but for this story, it's her last. I know you're probably wondering about Blaze's task, Brave and his group's defense of the cave, and Adam's fate. Rest assured, their arcs will be resolved soon enough. If you've enjoyed the story so far, don't forget to favorite this and leave a review.**


	14. Chapter 13 Trust

**A.N.: And we are back with a string of two tribute chapters. This first chapter is the longest one I've ever written so it should satisfy. A special thanks goes to thewisestman for their investment in this story. We are _finally_ starting to get out of this dark tunnel that we've been in for the entire story. Remember to leave a review and share it with your friends. (P.S. Get ready for the feels.)**

* * *

Ch. 13 Trust

(contains a tribute to Mass Effect 3)

"And here I thought this would be a short cut." Blaze was still wandering down the path the Guardian had opened. The privateer activated his map and realized he was really close to Able's chamber. He ran down the hall and was greeted by an unexpected light. He looked around the room and saw a lone clockwork slumped against the wall, swords resting by his disabled body. "Able!" Blaze rushed to his creation. Brushing the dust off the clockwork commander, he did a scan of his wiring. _His wiring is fine. Good._ He pulled out a wire that connected to his golden arm and put the other end into Able's neck. _Please work._ He pushed a button on his arm and a jolt of electricity surged into Able's body. His eyes glowed for a brief second but quickly dimmed. _Damn it. Not enough power._ Blaze tapped his arm and increased the electricity that flowed through. He shocked Able again, his eyes glowing longer, but dimming once again. _Great. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this._ Blaze disconnected the cable and rested his hand on Able's face plate. He let loose a burst of electricity and his and Able's bodies were surrounded by the energy. "Argh!" The pain was unbearable, but Blaze knew it was necessary. "Work, Damn it!" Able's eyes glowed a bright blue and the clockwork burst to life. Able's mechanical eyes blinked as he scanned his surroundings. His eyes fixated on the privateer that stood before him.

"You!" Able picked up his swords and prepared to slash down at his creator. Blaze, though weak from the electricity, still had enough strength to jump out of the way. Able scrapped his blades along the ground, building up electricity. "You die!" The clockwork lifted the swords and touched them together, focusing the electricity toward Blaze. The energy stunned Blaze and he fell to the ground.

"Able, I know you're mad, but we have to go." Able moved his swords by Blaze's neck. _I guess I can understand his reaction to seeing me again._ "Flint is back!" Able removed his swords and kneeled in front of his creator.

"How is this possible?"

"You were right. Tauros _was_ using me. I played right into his hands. He took control of my body and used me to help Flint attack Skull Island. I managed to get him out of me, but they're in control now." Able paced in front of Blaze.

"If that's the case, why come to me? If I recall, you said you were leaving me to sleep forever. You don't need me."

"I was wrong," the privateer sighed, "Look, I'm not asking you to fight Flint for me. I'm not even asking you to help me. I need you to help Adam."

"He's alive?" Blaze nodded. "Why isn't he here then? Shouldn't he be the one rescuing me, instead of you?"

"He would if he could, but Flint got to him first. He's injured, badly. His girlfriend, Lenora, is in charge right now." Able stopped moving. "I know you don't trust me; I wouldn't trust me. I'm just asking for a chance. Give me that." Able contemplated the request.

"I will come with you, but if I find anything that you say to be a lie, I will kill you."

"Fair enough." Blaze and Able left the room and made their way down the path. "So, what do you think of the new arm?" Blaze flexed the mechanical appendage.

"It's definitely a new look for you. What happened?"

"Adam cut it off and Tauros replaced it when he had control of me." Able stopped walking. Blaze noticed this and explained. "I tried to kill him. I made a lot of mistakes when I was listening to Tauros. Half of the Spiral still wants me dead for my crimes."

"As they should." A gunshot rang out from the end of the tunnel and both privateer-class fighters drew their swords. "What was that?"

"We left a small group to defend the cave entrance. That must be them." The two veterans ran as fast as they could and entered the central chamber. There were dozens of dark pirates and clockworks engaged in combat with the defense team. Brave had his rifle on his back and had switched to his machine pistol. "Aim for the joints!" The sniper saw the privateer and listened to the advice. The dragoon in front of him fell to the ground and he crushed its head under his boot.

"I see you found your friend. Where's Lenora and Ryan?"

"Hopefully, they'll be back soon." As the words exited his mouth, the two swashbucklers ran out of their tunnel. Ryan unsheathed his new sword and defended an attack from a battle angel. He went to strike, but the angel put her sword into a defensive stance.

 _Shouldn't have done that._ Ryan's aura surrounded his sword and it phased through the defending sword, slashing through the battle angel's arm. He teleported behind the clockwork and stabbed it through the back of its head. "I have to say, I _really_ like this sword." Lenora ran to his side.

"That's nothing. Check this out." Lenora's new golden aura surrounded her and a burst of golden flames filled the room, disintegrating every opponent in front of her, but leaving her allies untouched. Blaze put away his sword and walked over to Lenora.

"What was that?"

"We didn't find Able," Sagittarius stated as he appeared over Lenora's shoulder, "but that Guardian guy gave Lenora the same powers as Adam and boosted her old powers."

"You must be Lenora." The swashbuckler looked behind Blaze and saw a clockwork. Instinctively, she reached for her sword to attack the clockwork, but Blaze stopped her arm before she could do any damage. She calmed down and held out her left hand.

"You must be Able. I'm Red Lenora Noble. It's an honor to meet a clockwork who fought in the Polarian Wars." Able accepted the hand.

"I'm guessing what Blaze says is true. Flint really is back." Lenora nodded. "And you're losing the fight." Again, she nodded. Able turned to Blaze. "I guess I won't have to kill you. I will help you fight Flint. He must be stopped."

"We have a problem," Brave interrupted, "That was just a small portion of Flint's forces. There are more gearing up for another push right outside the cave." The sniper loaded the last of his spare ammo into his rifle. "We wasted all of the ammo we had for the spark launcher. I'm afraid the only way we're getting out of here is if there's some secret exit that leads directly to the docks." There was silence.

"There is," Able responded. He moved to the wall by the main exit. "I was the one who originally mapped this cave. I left a passageway off the map to protect it." Able moved his mechanical hands to a small hole and pushed his fingers into it. There was a click and an opening appeared. Opening it must have drained Able's energy because the clockwork collapsed to the ground. Blaze rushed to him. "I guess I'm weaker than I thought." The privateer lifted Able on his shoulder.

"We're getting you out of here. Don't worry about that." Blaze could hear the sound of clockworks and dark pirates coming from the main entrance. "We need to leave, now." Everyone made their way to the exit. Brave stopped before he entered. He looked at the door and listened to the sounds getting closer.

"Dad," Riley said, "Let's go."

"If this stays open, they'll follow us. Even if we shoot it down from the other side, there's nothing stopping them from blasting their own hole. We'll have no time to get off this island. With Able weak, we might not move fast enough to get out before they catch up to us." Brave cocked his machine pistol. "You need time to escape."

"This isn't the time to be brave, Brave," Ryan argued. "We'll find a way."

"I'm not being brave, by any means. You need time and I'll give it to you." Lenora made her way to the opening. "Don't. I've trusted you up to this point, Lenora. I need you to trust me now." Riley ran to her father and hugged him.

"You need to come back alive. Promise me." Brave took the moment to thank whatever God existed that he got to reunite with his daughter.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe." He kissed her forehead and pushed her into the tunnel. "Go!" The pirates and clockwork ran as Brave unloaded his pistol into the roof of the opening, collapsing it. _You'll live to fight another day._ The sniper drew his rifle, but removed the barrel. _Time for close quarter combat._ His rifle was now a wide barrel shotgun. A line of dark pirates and clockwork musketeers formed and aimed at Brave. They fired and their spark bullets stopped inches from the musketeer's outstretched hand. "My turn." He made a fist and the shots went back towards them, dropping them in an instant. As more dark pirates made their way into the chamber, Brave let out a yell and charged into them, firing his shotgun. A clockwork's face exploded, a dark pirate's chest opened; nothing stopped Brave's rampage. A dark pirate jumped onto Brave's back. Brave threw her off and shot her in the face. He attempted to fire again, but an empty click told him he was out of ammo. Desperate, he grabbed her dagger and threw it into another dark pirate's chest. "You're all gonna die!" Brave picked up another fallen dark pirate's sword and began to slash at his enemies, cutting them down to size. As more flowed into the chamber, Brave fell back a few feet and charged up his aura. The electricity built up and as the last opponents entered the chamber, he let it loose. It jumped from dark pirate to dark pirate, clockwork to clockwork, each dying due to shorting out or heart failure from the electric burst. Blaze leaned on his knees. "It is about time that it didn't miss the last one." A dark pirate got up, surviving the electric burst. "Oh, come on!" Brave rushed the pirate and knocked him to the ground. Merciless and weaponless, he beat his face in with his bare hands.

"Well, that's interesting." Brave looked up and saw Kristen and Jillian standing over him, weapons drawn. "Where are the others?" Out of the corner of her eyes, Jillian saw Brave reaching for a pistol with his mechanical arm. On instinct, the privateer sliced the limb clean off. Sparks emanated from the wound, but, since it was an artificial limb, Brave had no reaction to its severing. He grinned.

"They escaped. Able escaped. You've lost." Kristen aimed her rifle at Brave's head.

"Maybe they did, but you won't." Brave didn't flinch. He simply raised himself up on his knees and let the barrel rest on his chest. "What, do you want to die?" The sniper chuckled.

"It doesn't matter if you kill me. You'll have a hard time explaining your failure to Flint. I'm pretty sure he won't be too forgiving of the crippling of his forces due to your command." Kristen winced. "Did that touch a nerve? I'm sorry." Jillian held her sword to Brave's throat.

"Insult her one more time and I'll slit your throat."

"I'll be honest, it was a good strategy. If we hadn't found the other exit, we'd all probably be dead. But, no matter what, neither of us are leaving here alive." Kristen and Jinx looked down and saw Brave holding a detonator in his hand. "I push this button and we all stay trapped down here, left to starve or die from our wounds." He looked Jillian in the eyes. "I shot you and you shot Will. It was my fault he died. I thought I didn't have anything to live for until I remembered my daughter. I love her more than anything in this life." He turned to Kristen. "I've seen the way you two look at each other. Love is a beautiful thing. I don't want to destroy something like that. But, Flint will. He destroys everything he touches. If you let me go, I get more time with my daughter and you get to live to fight another day. Maybe, if we're all lucky, Flint gets defeated and you get to live a long, happy life." Kristen and Jillian looked to each other, then back to the sniper.

"Even if we let you go, how do we know you won't just detonate it as soon as you're out of here?" Kristen pointed her gun to his head. Brave thought about his response.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me."

* * *

"Ratbeard, we got Able. Give the order to fall back and pick us up."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n." The communicator clicked off and the group continued down the tunnel.

"He'll be alright. He promised," Riley told herself. "He'll make it back." Lenora looked at her and saw the desperation in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Ryan walked up beside Lenora. "You and Adam were right. It's not over." Ryan took out his sword. "My trial. I had to fight Autumn, but she gave me this sword and it made everything clear." He put it up. "I was wrong to leave you. All of you." Peyton overheard the conversation.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Ryan nodded.

"I'd like to rejoin the crew, if you'll have me." Lenora contemplated. She remained silent for a solid minute before responding.

"You'll have to fight twice as hard to make up for your absence." Ryan grinned.

"I'll give you three times as hard." The pirates continued down the passage way. At the first sign of light, they ran to the exit, even Able.

"Finally, we're out of that cave," Gracie exclaimed. Blaze walked over, Able still on his shoulder.

"Now we just need to wait for our ride." The privateer set down the clockwork and lay on the dock. Gracie pulled out her wrench and kneeled next to Able.

"If you want, I can take a look at you and fix what I can?" She couldn't tell if he was smiling, but his response didn't tell her otherwise.

"I won't say no after being stuck in that cave for as long as I was." Gracie got to work as Blaze relaxed.

"He's not here." Riley was looking out at the jungle. "He promised he'd make it back." Lenora went to the young musketeer.

"I'm sorry, Riley. I know this isn't what you wanted, but he fought for you. Every mission we went on, every battle we fought, he always thought of you before we engaged the enemy. Even when he couldn't see you, he was always thinking of you." Riley, overcome with emotions, hugged Lenora and cried.

"I just wanted more time," she sobbed. Lenora let her cry as long as she needed to. A few minutes passed and the Golden Archer arrived at the dock. "I guess it's time to go." Riley wiped the tears from her eyes, not wanting to show weakness in front of the crew. Sirena, Morgan, and Bonnie set down the boarding planks and helped carry Able on board. Bonnie walked down to the two pirates.

"Where's Brave?"

"He stayed behind to buy us time to escape. He didn't…" A rustling from the jungle trees grabbed Lenora's attention and she turned around, sword in hand. Out walked Brave, face covered in blood, arm still sparking, and limping, but alive.

"Dad!" Riley ran to her father and hugged him. He collapsed in her arms.

"Does anyone… have something to eat?" Riley carried him to the ship, getting help from Lenora along the way. "Whoever that traitor is, he'd better be careful not to go after me next. Especially with you on guard." Brave joked with Riley. Lenora pulled up the boarding planks and the ship departed.

"Ratbeard," Lenora ordered, "Set a course for Marleybone." The rat saluted and the ship hurried to the stormgate. "Blaze, I know Able is important, but I need you and Gracie to make sure Brave's tech can be salvaged." The two privateers nodded and got to work. Ryan leaned against the wall by the cabin door, waiting for Lenora. He addressed her as she approached.

"Lenora, I need to talk to you." The two swashbucklers entered the cabin. Lenora closed the door behind them. "I saw something else during my trial. I saw the man that attacked Adam." Lenora grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and pinned him to the wall.

"Who is it?!" A fire burned in the swashbuckler's eyes. "Tell me now."

"Do you remember Cole Strong?" As soon as she heard the name, Lenora let go of Ryan and fell to her knees. She started to cry. "What's wrong?"

"I…. I…. I just killed Adam."


	15. Chapter 14 Silver

**A.N.: Yeah, I got really into Sword Art Online before Christmas break and haven't really stopped watching it since. Hopefully this Alfheim Arc inspired chapter tells you why.**

* * *

Ch. 14 Silver

(Contains a tribute to Sword Art Online)

"Are you giving up?" Adam's eyes opened. The room around him had changed. He was no longer in the hospital bed in Marleybone. He was back home; on Skull Island. All of his missing body parts had been restored. He curled his toes in the golden sand. The voice had startled him, but, either way, he couldn't recognize it. He forced his eyes shut.

"I'm not giving up. I'm facing reality."

"Then you are giving up." The voice was disappointed.

"What difference does it make," Adam questioned. "I shouldn't be alive anyway."

"Exactly," the voice agreed. "So why are you alive?" The question caught Adam off-guard.

"What?"

"If you shouldn't be alive, why are you still here?" Adam lowered his head.

"I don't know why, but it doesn't matter anymore. It's over; Flint won." The voice grew angrier.

"Then what did everyone die for? What did Catbeard, Will, and Autumn die for? What did your father die for? What did _I_ die for?" The voice was closer and Adam could tell, it was a woman speaking. He turned around and was faced with a pirate wearing a large, silver, feathered cap, a silver overcoat, silver pants, and silver boots. The pirate's brown hair billowed in the wind. The frown on her face made her disappointment even more apparent and her light brown eyes pleaded for understanding.

"Mom?"

"You've fought for years against an evil everyone thought was unstoppable." Alexis moved closer to her son. "You showed everyone that all it took was a single spark to stop a cycle." Adam fell to his knees.

"That was the old me. I'm nothing but an empty husk, now."

"That's not true." Alexis grabbed her son and held him close. "There is still a pirate that's willing to fight to keep his freedom; I know there is." Adam pushed his mother away.

"I tried! I tried to fight! Didn't you see what happened to me?"

"You didn't fight," Alexis stated.

"It's the only way it could have gone down," Adam sighed, "My apartment was in shambles."

"Think back. Your wounds weren't ragged like those you'd get in a fight. They were precise." Adam turned around. "I can show you exactly what happened, but only if you let me help you." Alexis held out her left hand. Hesitantly, Adam grabbed her hand. A bright gold light shifted the scene. There he was, drunk in the pub in Marleybone, yelling for no reason. He hit Lenora and ran out.

 _I hit Lenora?_ He sobered up and went to his apartment. A taunt from Flint was left openly stating that there was a traitor. There was a knock on the door and Cole walked in. They sat down for drinks. Cole took his sword. He mentioned Alexis' death. Adam tried to get up, but fell. He couldn't move. He reached for his pistols, but Cole pinned him to the ground with his sword. _I can't watch this._ Adam wanted to look away, but he was entranced with the scene before him. Cole pulled out a dagger and started cutting, all while Adam was still conscious. When Cole finished mutilating him, he waved his arm and Adam's eyes started to go blank. _He wiped my memories._ The witchdoctor disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving his body to die on the ground. There was a pounding at the door. Brave, Bonnie, and Lenora barged in and started treating his wounds. He saw Lenora crying over him as she held his body. The image went to black and Adam was back on the beach with Alexis. "I didn't fight?" Alexis nodded. "I was drugged and mutilated."

"You can't fight if you have no way to fight back." Adam ran his hands through his hair. "You need to go back."

"I can't go back." Adam sat under a nearby tree. "You saw what happened. I made so many mistakes. I got all of those people killed! I got myself mutilated! I… I…" He couldn't bring himself to say what he was thinking.

"You what?" Alexis wasn't going to let him keep his thoughts in.

"I hurt Lenora!" Tears flowed down Adam's face. "I hurt her so bad and I couldn't even remember it!" Alexis kneeled in front of him.

"Ok, you hurt her. Answer me this," Alexis requested, "Why didn't she tell you?" Adam looked into his mother's eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe she thought it wasn't important." Alexis smiled.

"In a way, you're right. It's more than that though. She knew why you were acting the way you were acting. You had no real control over your actions. She loves you, Adam. She won't let a stupid mistake ruin your relationship. You're her source of strength." Alexis wiped away his tears. "Besides, she's not the only one depending on you." Adam lowered his head.

"They don't need me."

"Oh, really?" Multiple holographic images appeared behind Alexis. Each one took the form of a crew member, with Admiral Nelson joining them.

 _"Ryan and Adam. We need them_ both _back."_

 _"I know how important he is."_

 _"Getting this victory may bring Adam back."_

 _"Don't give up."_

 _"We're with you."_

 _"I trust you."_

 _"You're goin' to be fine, captain."_

 _"Adam was my first, and only, captain. I'll do whatever it takes to help him and the people of Skull Island."_

 _"My place!? Is right here: between you and Adam."_

 _"They stood by us in our hours of need. We need to stand by them now."_

 _"I was wrong to leave you. All of you."_

 _"Adam taught me what it truly takes to be a leader. I want to be there when you walk again._ _You're the strongest person I've ever known. You can pull through this, I know you can. Please. I need you."_ Adam walked up to the hologram of Lenora. As he drew closer, she raised her right hand up to his face, grasping it. Adam closed his eyes and the two rested their foreheads against each other's. Adam broke off the intimate embrace and backed away.

"They need you more than you think they do," Alexis stated. "You have to go back."

"They all need me." Adam stared at the images. _Every one of them is depending on me. So are countless others._ "I… I'm still not sure. I don't know how I can do this. I'm just a pirate." Alexis lifted her son.

"You're more than a pirate. You're a Silver." The dream world started to collapse around the two pirates. "Get up, Adam!"

* * *

 _No!_ Adam was able to react fast enough to move the pistol before it could shoot him, hitting the wall to his right. He stared at the indentation in the wall. _What did I almost do?_ He looked to his left and saw the prosthetics. _As soon as Lenora gets back, I'm going to walk with her._ The musketeer stared at the door. _Cole could be back any minute, ready to take away my dead body._ Adam cocked the pistol and aimed it at the door. _I won't let him take me away from my family._

* * *

"Maybe it's not too late," Sirena reassured Lenora. She had just informed the crew of the traitor's identity. "Mary is watching over him, too. She won't let anything happen to him." Ryan slammed his fist into the mast.

"I never should have left. This is all my fault," Ryan growled. "If I had been a better friend and less of an asshole, he wouldn't even be in this predicament. _We_ wouldn't be in this predicament." Lenora looked out to the distance from the port side of the Golden Archer. The sun was gone from Skull Island Skyway, replaced by dark clouds that gave off a dim purple glow. Then, she heard it. A soft voice in the distance.

 _I'm going to walk with her._ Lenora backed away from the edge and looked around.

"Lenora, what's wrong?" Morgan put a hand on her shoulder.

"You all didn't hear that?" Everyone shook their heads.

 _I won't let him take me away from my family._

"There it is again." The words repeated themselves until Lenora recognized the voice. "It's Adam!"

"But, how?" Jordan was confused. "Are you hearing his thoughts or something?" Sagittarius appeared over Lenora's left shoulder.

"It's possible. Lenora has the same powers as Adam now. There may be a link between the two of them."

"I believe her." The pirates all turned to face Riley and Brave. "We all know that she's not insane, so that's out of the picture." Riley helped her dad move to the swashbuckler. "I've never known Lenora's plans or thoughts to be wrong. The execution of them is a different story." The sniper turned to Ratbeard. "Get to the wheel and get us to Marleybone as fast as you can." The rat ran to the wheel while Bonnie and Jordan lifted the anchor. He saw the look of gratefulness in Lenora's eyes. "You can thank me after we make sure Adam is out of harms way." Riley carried Brave back below deck. Before they descended, Brave said one last thing. "I guess you're a Silver now."


	16. Chapter 15 Safe

**A.N.: After a bit of writer's block, I've finally finished this chapter. It's time for a certain pirate to strike back.**

* * *

Ch. 15 Safe

"Okay guys, we don't know how much time we'll have to stop Cole. Ryan, Peyton, and Pedro, you're with me." Lenora jumped off the ship as soon as it was close enough to dock with Marleybone. The other three followed suit.

"Well, she certainly doesn't waste any time," Brave commented.

"Can you blame her?" Sirena gathered up the weapons they had available, planning to take them to the local blacksmith for repairs.

"Not really, if someone I loved was in danger, I'd do anything to protect them." Brave looked at Riley, who was talking to Blaze, Gracie, and Able. "Whatever it takes to keep them safe." He looked to the boarding planks and saw Bonnie, Jordan, and Ratbeard leaving the ship. "Where are you three going?"

"We're goin' t' inform Nelson of the recent developments," Ratbeard answered. "Figured he might also have a place to lock up Cole."

"You'd better get moving, then."

* * *

"Ms. Winchester," a dog nurse called out, "That injured man you brought in earlier today isn't doing too well. Two ribs appear to have pierced his lungs. I don't think there's much more we can do." Mary stopped in front of Adam's door.

"Never a moment of free time, I guess." Mary drew her staff and headed to the patient. "I've got this. I won't let him die." As soon as she entered the room, her serpent staff glowed and a green cloud filled the room. The witchdoctor began chanting and the dog gasped for air. "Sir, how do you feel?" The dog sat up and rolled his shoulders.

"Much better. I don't remember much about what happened. The only thing I remember is a metal hand beating me to the ground."

"That's alright. The nurses will do a quick check up for any other injuries and send you on your way." Mary put her staff on her back and left the room. _I need a break._ As she walked down the hall, Mary ran into Cole. "Hey Cole," she called out, "I need to take a break for a minute. Could you check in on Adam for me?"

"No problem. Take as much time as you need," Cole responded. Mary smiled and went into the lobby. As soon as she entered the common area, the doors flung open. In ran Lenora, Peyton, Ryan, and Pedro. Immediately, the red-haired swashbuckler began barking orders.

"Pedro, stay here. No one gets in or out. Peyton and Ryan, let's go."

"Lenora, good to see you again." Mary approached the fellow pirate. "What's going on?"

"Where is Cole?"

"What?" Lenora grabbed Mary by her collar and pulled her closer.

"Where. Is. Cole?" Mary saw the fear and anger in the swashbuckler's eyes. It was the same look she had when Adam had been hospitalized.

"Lenora, let her go." Ryan shook Lenora's shoulder and she dropped Mary. "Mary, where is Cole?"

"I just sent him to check on Adam." Two gunshots rang through the building. A nurse ran into the lobby.

"Shots fired in Adam's room." As soon as Lenora heard the word 'shots,' she bolted past the nurse and made her way to his room. Half way down the hall, she could hear shouting.

"I said get the fuck away from me!" Lenora ran into the room and saw Cole, hands raised above his head, backed against the wall. Adam had his pistol trained on Cole's head. Cole saw Lenora and tried to explain the situation.

"He's crazy! I just came to check on him when he pulled a gun on me. How'd he even get a gun?" Adam pointed his gun harder.

"You're the one who gave it to me. You wanted me to kill myself."

"What?" Lenora couldn't comprehend the idea of Adam taking his own life.

"I'll tell you later."

"I didn't do anything. You seem to have a memory problem."

"That problem is solved," Adam growled. "I remember everything, Cole. I remember how you visited me that night, how you drugged my water, how you stabbed me in the leg to keep me from my weapons, and how you stabbed my eye and severed my limbs. I remember the pain." Ryan, Peyton, and Mary entered behind Lenora. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"You're insane!" Cole turned to Peyton. "Peyton, you know that I'd never betray Skull Island."

"I…I…" Ryan could sense the doubt in Peyton's voice. After all, Cole was her captain for a time.

 _I need to convince her that he can't be trusted. What can I do?_ Ryan studied Cole as quickly as he could. His eyes rested on Cole's gloves. _Of course!_ "Cole, remove your gloves." Cole's eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Ryan activated his wrist blades.

"You heard me. Take them off. Now!" Defeated, Cole removed his gloves, revealing one hand made of flesh and one made of metal. _Gotcha._ Ryan looked at Adam and saw a smile crawl across his face.

"Well, since the truth is out, you should know that my _real_ name is Deceptive Gareth Welch. And, I'm not going anywhere." Gareth pulled a pistol out of his pocket and shot at Adam. As soon as he pulled the gun out, Lenora projected a golden energy shield around Adam, reflecting the projectile into the wall. Gareth let out a burst of dark energy, knocking everyone to the ground and knocking Adam out of his bed. Without the proper limbs to arrest his fall, Adam felt the full force of the damage. Ryan got up first and chased after Gareth.

Ryan and Gareth reached the main lobby. It was empty.

 _Too easy._

 _Damn it. Where's Pedro?!"_ Suddenly, a purple flash of light sped across in front of the door, knocking Gareth off his feet. Pedro had hidden and used his speed boost to catch Gareth. The witchdoctor got up and formed a dark energy staff. He slammed it into the ground, sending Pedro flying out through the window. The buccaneer recovered quickly and teleported back into the hospital. He headbutt the witchdoctor, knocking him into Ryan's arms, who slammed him into the ground. The swashbuckler pointed to Pedro's axe. "Can I borrow that?" Pedro tossed him the weapon and Ryan proceeded to stab the pointed tip into Gareth's leg. The witchdoctor screamed in pain.

"This isn't over." Ryan materialized three copies of himself and each one struck Gareth in the head, knocking the dark pirate out.

"I'd disagree." The projections disappeared and Ryan cautiously approached the witchdoctor. _Good. No other weapons on him._ He called to one of the nurses, "Get some redcoats over here now. We need him locked up." The nurse ran out the front door. Tired from the fight, Ryan leaned against the leg of one of the chairs. Pedro sat down next to him, exhausted as well.

"So," Pedro asked, "You're really back? For good?" Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ryan chuckled.

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm back for good." Ryan held out his hand to his former enemy. Pedro accepted it and shook his hand. A dark shadow formed around Gareth's body and its appearance began to change. His short brown hair was now black and was done in a ponytail down to his shoulders. The dark pirate's tan skin turned a pale white and a scar ran from the bottom of his right nostril down to the base of his neck. His body also appeared to shrink as the clothes he was wearing became extremely baggy. "Okay, that was weird." Pedro cautiously crawled to the body.

"He's some sort of shape shifter. I guess Flint has quite the team for us to face."

"If he's a shape shifter, who knows how long he's been posing as 'Cole Strong.'" _It doesn't matter now. It's over._

* * *

"Oh, my God. Adam, are you alright?" Lenora scrambled over to her boyfriend. Adam winced in pain as Lenora grabbed hold of him.

"Ow. Yeah, I'm fine." Adam looked at Lenora. For the first time in months, he could see the comfort that resided in her eyes. Comfort that he had pushed away. "I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time." Adam was snapped out of his trance by a thud from outside the room. He reached for the pistol, ready to protect Lenora. The nurse that had gotten everyone's attention was at the door. Aware of the absence of danger, Adam lowered his weapon.

"That dark pirate is out like a light. Your friends are very skilled fighters." Mary and Peyton finally recovered from the attack and stood up. Likewise, Lenora got up, assisting Adam back to his bed. Adam glanced at the bullet hole in the wall.

 _That shot would have killed me._ "Lenora, how did you do that? You created a golden energy shield." Sagittarius appeared over Adam's lap.

"It was a little parting gift from Able's cave. Whoever that guardian was, he gave Lenora your powers."

"More like he gave me a boost. As far as I know, you still have yours." Adam noticed a gash on the side of her head from where she'd hit the wall. He touched the wound and activated his golden aura. The energy flowed from his hand and cleaned the wound, repairing the damaged skin. As Adam's aura faded away, Lenora smiled. "I guess you still have your powers," she chuckled. Adam pulled her head closer and gave her a kiss. Mary and Peyton walked to the door.

"We'll give you two some privacy." As the two pirates left, Lenora helped Adam sit himself up in his bed.

"I knew that Cole, or Gareth, was lying," Lenora admitted. "I wanted to see what he'd do."

"I know. It's the same thing I did with Ryan and Pedro back when Autumn was alive." Adam brushed his hair back with his hand. _I really need to get this cut._ He felt his face, stubble brushing against his hand. _And I need a shave._ "So, did you end up getting Able?"

"Yes. Blaze was the one who found him in that cave. The mission was a success, but the distraction team lost two frigates, twenty-five pirates on each ship." Lenora lowered her head. "I guess I can't save everyone like you can."

"Hey, don't say that. Remember, I've lost a lot more people because of my choices than you have with one choice. You did what you thought was right and managed to keep a lot of people alive. War is war; people die." A knock on the door grabbed both pirates' attention. Blaze ran in the door.

"I heard what happened. Are you alright?" The pirate had his sword drawn, in case of danger.

"He's fine," Lenora reassured, "Everyone's fine. _Gareth_ is done." Blaze put up his sword and joined Lenora by Adam's bed.

"It's good to see you're up. You have a guest who would like to see you." Blaze waved his hand at the door and in walked Able. "Adam, meet Able, my first clockwork." The clockwork bowed.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Silver." Adam sat up to view the new ally. "I have to say, you look like you've been through hell."

"I've been worse," Adam chuckled. "So, you fought in the Polarian Wars?" Able nodded. "Then you're pretty old as far as clockworks go." Able seemed to laugh at the comment. "As much as I would like to keep talking, I'm actually really tired. It's been quite a day. Besides," Adam looked to his prosthetics, "I start my physical training tomorrow." Lenora smiled. "It's time I got back into the fight."

* * *

 **A.N.: I don't really have much to say about this update, but I will tell you that when its done, the next chapter will be Adam's first chapter with his prosthetics.**


	17. Chapter 16 The First Step

**A.N.: So ... ... I have no excuse for the time between updates. I've been lazy. Hopefully this emotional and inspiring chapter makes up for it.**

* * *

Ch. 16 The First Step

"So how do these things work?" Adam had the prosthetics in his lap, confused with the mechanics.

"There are wires inside the limbs that connect to your nervous system. They'll act like your old arm and leg. It'll just take some getting used to." Blaze took the limbs and moved them into place. Adam could feel the wires attach to his stumps. An electric jolt coursed through his limbs and he jumped on the edge of his bed. "That's completely normal the first time. Your body will adjust to the appendages." Blaze backed away as Adam flexed the limbs. Lenora stood up from her seat.

"So, how does it feel?" Adam twisted his metal arm, flexing his digits individually. He swung his metal leg through the air.

"It'll take some getting used to." Adam made a fist with his metal hand. "But I think I'll be fine."

"Alright, let me calibrate the limbs really quick." Blaze opened panels on the limbs and typed a few commands. "There, they should be perfect now." He looked at the clock. _12:30._ "I hate to rush off, but I've got to meet Gracie. Don't want to be late for our date."

"I'll see you later, brother." Blaze left, leaving Adam and Lenora alone.

"So, where do you want to walk to first?" At that moment, Adam's stomach growled.

"Let's get some food." Adam pushed himself off the bed and tried to stand. He staggered to the ground. Lenora rushed to his side and helped him up. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Adam waved her away. As soon as Lenora backed away, Adam fell back down. "I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be." She lifted him up again.

"It'll take time. Until then," Lenora lifted Adam's left arm over her shoulder, "I'll help you." The two pirates walked out of Adam's hospital room. The whirring of Adam's limbs was a new sensation for the musketeer. "Everyone is glad to see you're doing better." Adam smiled. After the ordeal with Gareth, everyone had shown up to his room, relieved that he was alive. Then Ratbeard told them that Nelson wasn't at his office. They didn't know what had happened to him, but they were hoping that the good Admiral was alright.

"I'm just glad that everyone's alright." The two continued down the hall. "I'm… sorry. I was weak and Gareth gave me an out. I wanted it to end so bad that I didn't think about who I was leaving behind."  
"It wasn't your fault. Gareth preyed on your vulnerability and I helped him. Besides, it didn't go down that way. You're still here, with your friends and family."

"Well, I won't let it happen again," Adam promised, "You all deserve more than that." They stopped for a moment to let Adam try to gain his balance. Though this was his first time walking, he was getting the hang of his new limbs. He finally said the words he'd been meaning to say. "That night. At the pub." Lenora winced as she recalled that night. "I'm sorry for what I did. I was angry and stupid and drunk, but I should never have hurt you. And, you were right not to tell me what had happened after I lost my memory." Lenora lowered her head.

"You were in pain and broken. I didn't want to add to it."

"Well, it looks like I did do _one_ thing right while I was weak. I'm glad I put you in charge and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Lenora laughed at the thought.

"I don't know. I'd rather follow you through hell than lead people through it myself." Adam chuckled at the thought.

"We sure have gone through a lot in about a year." They made it to the hospital cafeteria where a few patients were enjoying their meals. Ryan, Peyton, and Pedro were also in the room, talking. Lenora guided Adam to the table with the other pirates.

"I'll go get you something to eat."

"Lenora, I can go get it with you," Adam argued.

"I know," she responded, "But you have some catching up to do." The swashbuckler walked away. Adam turned to Ryan, who refused to make eye contact. Peyton saw this and decided she needed a walk.

"Hey, Pedro. I think I left my sword on the ship. Can you help me look for it?" Pedro nodded and the two left. Adam's gaze followed them as they left the cafeteria.

 _And… her sword is on her belt._ Adam turned back to Ryan. "Hey." Ryan's eyes finally met Adam's.

"Hey."

"You know," Adam stated as he leaned back in his chair, "The last time we actually had a conversation, you were trying to kill me. That was a good fight, despite the circumstances." Ryan laughed at the compliment, but his frown soon returned.

"I'm sorry. You were right about it not being over." Ryan pressed his hands against each other. "I was angry."

"You had every right to be."

"No, I didn't. I let my anger blind me. You got hurt because of me."

"Look, I'm sorry about Autumn. Maybe if I had just surrendered-"

"No!" Ryan's reaction caught Adam by surprise. It also attracted the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria. Ryan waited until everyone had lost interest before continuing. "Sorry about that. It's just that you're wrong. I was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"If you had listened to me, we'd all be dead." Adam's curiosity was peaked. "I saw a lot of things when we rescued Able. All of our heads were on spikes and Flint saved you for last." Ryan sighed. "He had me so messed up that I would have rather seen everyone die than help."  
"Well, you're back now and stronger than ever."

"I guess a few months living off the land does the body good," Ryan chuckled.

"I'd probably do that too, but I don't think there'll be time."

"Any chance we could be able to pick up where we left off, friend?" Adam smiled.

"We already did. We were friends again yesterday."

"What are we talking about?" Lenora came back to the table with two trays of food.

"Oh, you know," Adam chuckled, "catching up on lost time."

"And talking about the future," Ryan finished. "Guys, I've made a lot of mistakes, and I don't want to make another. Peyton, I think I like her."

"Do it," Lenora instantly responded.

"Well that was fast," Adam quipped.

"Hey, she likes him so it only makes sense to at least give it a shot."

"I know she likes me, but I don't want to rush things. I've only just gotten over Autumn and I don't want to ruin this relationship before it happens."

"You're the only one who will know if it's too soon." Lenora held Adam's hand. "The first step is always the hardest, but you've just got to keep pushing forward." Adam picked up his fork and started eating.

"I'm starving. Eat first, push forward later." Ryan and Lenora rolled their eyes.

 _The things we do for this guy._

* * *

"Right this way, Admiral." Brave walked through the door to the prison, his missing arm leaving his right sleeve dangling behind him.

"I'm not an admiral anymore." _Why does everyone keep calling me admiral?_

"Sorry, sir. Force of habit." Brave made his way down the hall.

"The first step is always the hardest." He entered a room that was divided by a wall of steel bars. He sat down in a seat on his side of the bars and stared through the openings in the metal. "Hello, Ford, Sigma." The warrior and his personality matrix got up from the bunk in their cell.

"Mr. Bellamy," Sigma acknowledged, "It has been a while."

"Yes, it has." The sniper studied Ford's cell. "I see there's a newspaper clipping of me on your wall." Brave concentrated harder on the paper. "And that it has my eyes crossed out and devil horns on my head. Cute."

"Yes. We've thought a lot about you, Alaric." Brave heard a gurgling sound come from Ford's throat. "Ford would like you to know that your days are numbered." Brave held his hand up to stop the prisoner's part of the conversation.

"I've gotten enough death threats in the past few days; I could do without another." Ford moved toward the bars. "I just came to say a few things." Another groan came from Ford's throat.

"Say what you want to say, then go."

"I let you live," Brave stated. "Maybe I should have killed you. Spared you from this half-life. Kept dozens of people alive." Brave leaned forward in his chair. "Prevented Sigma from being used. I should have killed you, could have killed you, but I didn't. Do you know why?" Ford and Sigma didn't respond. "I let you live because, even after everything you did, I believe you still have a chance to make the right choice. You can redeem yourself for all the evil you've caused. All those deaths that are on your head, they can mean something if it isn't too late." Brave crossed his arm over his lap. "Maybe it is too late. Maybe I know everything I'm saying is falling on deaf ears. But, maybe, just maybe, there's a chance for you to do what's right and fight for a cause that needs your strength. Not because it's my world that needs saving; because it's my daughter's world that needs saving." Brave got up from his chair. "I forgive you for what you've done. Now, I'm asking you to prove that you're worthy of my forgiveness." Brave turned around to leave the room. A gurgling came from Ford.

"We don't want your forgiveness." Brave turned to see Ford punch the picture of him on the wall. "We don't need your forgiveness." The sniper exhaled.

"I tried." Brave closed the door and started walking down the hall. There were a lot of empty cells, so he didn't pay much attention.

"Admiral?"

 _Okay, that's it!_ "I am NOT! An ADMIRAL! ANYMORE!" He drew his sidearm and aimed it at the cell. His eyes widened as he recognized the prisoner. "Nelson?"

* * *

"This is crazy."

"I know."

"This is more than crazy; this is suicide!"

"I know!"

"Then why even think about doing it?" Jillian and Kristen were the only two who made it back to the ship after the attack on the cave. "Helping take out Flint? It's impossible!"

"Jillian," Kristen grabbed ahold of her wife's hands, "I'm tired." Jinx was confused. "I'm tired of killing. I'm tired of being perceived as a horrible person because that's what we are. We are horrible people. We were ready to kill a father who had just reunited with her daughter. Look at Hannah; she's fully prepared to kill her sister. Her SISTER!" Tears started to run down her eyes. "If we keep working for Flint, following his orders, one of us might not come back. We've been getting lucky so far, but luck runs out." She buried her head into her wife's chest. "Brave said we could have a life with Flint out of the picture. I want that life. I want _us_ to have that life. I… I don't want to lose you." Jillian gently stroked her wife's hair.

"I don't want to lose you either," the privateer admitted. She kissed the shorter musketeer's forehead. "I don't completely believe this will work, but I trust you. If you think helping Skull Island is for the best, I won't stop you."

"Look," Kristen said, wiping away tears, "If anything happens to me- "

"Nothing will happen to you," Jillian interrupted.

"If anything _does_ happen to me, I want you to promise me something." Jillian listened. "Finish what I start." The older dark pirate held her wife close.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Jinx looked off into the distance. There was a small ray of light shining through the black sky of Skull Island Skyway. "No matter what happens, know that I love you." Kristen had already moved back to the wheel, ready to set sail to Skull Island.

* * *

 **A.N. In Word 2013, this chapter took up 10 pages and I made changes periodically. I'll try to get into a set schedule for uploads (Maybe once every two weeks). Please leave a review and share this story with your friends. It's like opening a book; once you open it up, you won't be able to put it down.**


	18. Chapter 17 Combat Training

**A.N.: Time for a bit more action after the weeks of levity. Hope you enjoy. Leave a review.**

* * *

Ch. 17 Combat Training

"Come out, come out wherever you are." Adam creeped through the park on the Ilse of Dogs. He heard a rustling in the trees. He shot his grappling hook in the direction of the sound. He pulled back and Riley came flying out of the tree. "Found you." The young musketeer rolled onto her back and laughed.

"I almost got past you, didn't I?"

"Almost," Adam chuckled. The older musketeer moved to the sixteen-year-old and helped her up. As she was pulled up, Riley pushed him to the ground and ran.

"You've still got to catch me." Lenora and Brave were resting on a bench. Adam had already found them.

"Remind me again how Adam convinced us to play hide-and-seek?"

"He does have a way with words," Lenora chuckled. She watched Adam weave in and out of trees to catch the young musketeer. "Its's hard to believe that just three weeks ago, he was ready to die."

"Yeah," he responded, "And now he's up and about like nothing ever happened." Sagittarius appeared over Lenora's shoulder.

"All he needed was the right push to get back in action and he got it," the personality matrix stated. His holographic form laid back on Lenora's shoulder. "I just hope he's _all_ better, physically as well as mentally."

"I think his mental state has improved," Lenora responded, "but his physical state still needs a bit of work."

"Got ya!" Adam tackled Riley to the ground. The pirates laughed as the two musketeers had landed in a mud puddle. Riley made a ball of mud in her hands and threw it at Adam, hitting him square in the face. He wiped the mud from his eyes and walked to Lenora. "Come on, give me a hug." Lenora got up from the bench.

"No," She dodged left, narrowly avoided Adam's grasp.

"Please. You know I love your hugs." Adam started chasing after Lenora.

"And you know that I just washed these clothes," Lenora scowled. She continued running until Adam conceded. "Come on, I think it's time you got some actually training in."

* * *

"Welcome to Witchdoctor101!" Mary held out her hands enthusiastically. Adam stood there, slowly blinking.

"Witchdoctor101? Is that the best you could come up with?" Mary lowered her arms and frowned.

"Well, since this is pirate training, we could call it Pirate101?"

"Now that's worse," Lenora laughed, joining in on the teasing of Mary.

"Okay, fine. We'll stick with plain-old training," Mary sighed. The witchdoctor drew her staff. "Now, casting spells is simple, but their effectiveness is based on your own willpower. Consider this training for your body _and_ mind." Mary slammed her staff into the ground and a zombie rose from the crevice. "Summoning spells require a staff and finding your destined staff takes years, but I _can_ teach you simple defense spells." Mary motioned for the zombie to attack her. The undead assailant attacked, but it's attack was redirected into the wall.

"I'm gonna guess," Lenora stated, "Redirection spell."

"That's right." Mary was impressed by the swashbuckler's magical knowledge. "An amateur spell, but it can keep you safe in a pinch. The technique is like physically redirecting an attack. You need to clear your mind and will the attack to move as if you were making the redirect." Mary held her left forearm in front of her face. It shimmered a bright white as the zombie slashed at her with its sword. Mary's arm remained unharmed.

"That was a hardening spell." Able had entered the sparring chamber. "I saw many Polarian witchdoctors use that spell during the war.

"I studied their teachings during my training. They'd cast this spell on their soldiers to make them temporarily indestructible." Mary turned back to Adam. "Then again, your ice power already lets you do that so we'll focus on the redirect for now." The veteran witchdoctor had the zombie move to the far side of the room. "I'm going to have the zombie charge you and I want you to think of the happiest memory you have. The pure positive energy will create a barrier for as long as you focus on it."

"Alright, let's do this." Adam left his pistols in their holsters. Lenora got out of the way, so as to avoid being mistaken for a target. Mary motioned for the undead warrior to attack. Adam concentrated, every facet of his being focusing on the happiest memory he had: His first date with Lenora. _I'll do anything to protect her. I owe her that._ The zombie drew closer, Adam ready for the attack. He was shocked when the sword's course didn't change. In a rush of adrenaline, Adam lifted his metal arm to defend from the attack. He forced the zombie back as he examined his prosthetic for damage. _Barely a scratch. Good._ He clenched his metal fist. "What the hell happened? I did it right, didn't I?" Even Mary was confused. She could feel the energy Adam was giving off, but didn't understand why the reflection barrier had failed.

"I don't know." She looked over at Lenora. _Didn't Lenora mention how Adam first used his golden shield to protect her from a spark bullet?_ Mary looked back at Adam. _And aren't their powers linked now?_ "I think I may know what's going on. Keep focusing on that memory. I'll have the zombie attack soon." She walked over to Lenora. _I can't believe I'm about to do this._

"What's up?" Lenora stood up, ready to help.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I need you to stand there, defenseless."

"You're right, you are crazy." Lenora heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed. "Able, what are _you_ doing?"

"Testing Mary's theory." Able raised his sword and slashed to the right. Lenora braced herself, but never felt the attack. She looked up and saw Able's attacks being redirected to the sides. "Adam's redirection shield isn't protecting him; It's protecting you."

"What?" Adam turned around to see Able attacking Lenora. "And you chose to test that out by attacking my girlfriend?!" Able shrugged his mechanical shoulders.

"She's fine." Able performed another slash. "See. No harm."

"Oh, I wouldn't say no harm will come to her," a voiced cackled from the rafters. Mary turned to the sound of the voice and readied her staff.

"Hannah?" The blue-clad witchdoctor jumped down, her descent being slowed by her partial transformation, black wings growing from her back. "What are you doing here?" The elder sister didn't respond. She simply drew her raven staff and slammed it into the ground. Immediately, dozens of zombies rose from the ground.

"Just doing a preemptive strike. Can't have a clockwork changing the game." The zombies charged the pirates, swords sharpened.

"I hope you brought more than a handful of blades." Able drew his second sword and started to charge up electricity.

"Able, don't. You're too important," Adam pulled him back. "I've been itching to get back into the fight, anyway." Hannah growled.

"I guess you'll do, traitor. But let's make this more interesting." Hannah held out her hands, exerting dark forces on Mary, Able, and Lenora. The three tried to move, but were frozen in place.

"What is this?" Mary had never encountered this kind of attack except from Peyton and Autumn's gravity attacks.

"A new power I've gained from working with Flint." At that moment, the zombies' attacks redirected toward the three constricted crew members. Adam rushed to defend them, but the undead were moving faster.

 _I'm not going to make it in time!_ Adam stopped and focused his energy. _Please work._ The zombies slashed, but their attacks were redirected into each other, their swords lodging into rotting flesh.

"What? How did you master that spell that fast?" Adam flashed a quick smile.

"When I'm at the top of my game, nothing is difficult. You should have known that from all of our years working together." Adam pressed his left hand into the ground. "You were one of my best friends and I've tried to stay that way. You said that I didn't care about Mary anymore. Well, I may not love you sister anymore, but she's part of my family. I'll still protect her and everyone else for as long as I can." A green swirl of energy enveloped the limb and he slowly raised his hand. A silver rod followed him, with silver dragon wings resting on the top.

"A staff?!" Hannah's hands ruffled her hair. "He has his own staff?!" Her hair now a mess, the elder Winchester slammed her staff into the ground again. Three skeleton pirates rose up, spark throwers replacing their right arms. "No! You're not getting out of here alive!"

"Take 'em down, Adam," Mary shouted. Adam slammed his staff into the ground, green energy swirled around the base. Dozens of ghost rats flew through the air, attacking the zombies and skeletons. Adam sent out another burst of energy from his staff and a large green skull floated above the skeletons.

"I'll take that energy." The skull inhaled and sucked the life from the skeletons, transferring it to Adam's staff. Adam used the energy to free Mary, Lenora, and Able from the gravity. Able and Lenora made short work of the remaining zombies, using their swords to decapitate them. "Not bad for someone who just got their staff, huh?"

"Argh!" Hannah shifted into a raven. "This isn't over!" In a burst of blue energy, she disappeared from the sparring chamber. Everyone was silent, the only sound coming from Able and Adam's mechanical limbs. Exhausted, Adam kneeled on the ground, leaning against his new staff.

"You learn fast," Mary chuckled. The witchdoctor grabbed Adam's mechanical hand and pulled him up. "This was supposed to just be training."

"I guess Flint has other plans," Able spat, "The Spiral is better off without him."

"Then it may be time to finally strike back." Adam examined his staff. "I'm going to see if there's anything I can do to make this easier to carry."

"I'll go with you," Lenora stated. "I've gotten better at making modifications."

"Then let's go."

* * *

 **A.N.: After 5 long books, I finally reference the name of the game. I'm going to give you a bit of background on two characters. Hannah and Mary are based on two real life friends that I have. Their last name is Winchester because they are big Supernatural fans and their roles as Witchdoctors comes from their love of the Harry Potter franchise. Hannah and I had a big fight that lasted a couple years and, for a time, Mary and I also grew apart. This past year, our friendship restarted and I decided to use our story as part of this story. Don't forget to leave a review and share this with your friends. Until the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 18 Without You

**A.N.: Finally updated this chapter. There is a song featured in this chapter. The song is "I was Lost Without You" by Sam Hullick. I wrote words to this instrumental track. I will be uploading a cover of this to YouTube by the end of the month. Hope you enjoy the updated chapter.**

* * *

Ch. 18 Without You

Lenora walked up to Adam's cabin on the Golden Archer. Sagittarius' data chip rested in her hand. _It's time._ Adam sat at his desk, looking over the reports of attacks from when he was out of commission. He was singing a piece of music that Lenora had never heard before.

 _I was lost._

 _I won't leave you to cry. I won't._

 _I won't leave. I have come too far to let you go without my love._

 _We carry strength from what we've lost, but I won't let you go. We will fight and we will cry, but we will never say goodbye_

 _And though I know it's foolish, I will look into your eyes._

 _I was lost without you._

Lenora closed the door and Adam looked up from the papers.

"Lenora. What's up?"

"You have a beautiful singing voice. How come I've never heard you sing before?" Adam set the papers back down on the desk.

"I haven't sung in years. There was always another fight to get to."

"What song was that?"

"It's called 'I was Lost Without You.' It's an old piece." He got up from his chair and noticed that one of Lenora's hands was clenched. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Lenora blurted. She was nervous about how Adam would react. She opened her hand to reveal Sagittarius' chip. "But I think it's time you had Sagittarius back. And this." She gave Adam's the personality matrix and reached for his sword. "It never really belonged to me anyway." Adam held the chip in his mechanical hand and the sword in the other.

"I guess I should have expected to get these back eventually." Adam took the chip and placed it on his neck. He felt the tingle of Sagittarius connecting to his nervous system. _Wish that wasn't so uncomfortable._ "How are you doing Sagittarius?"

"Honestly, and nothing against Lenora, but I'm glad to be back in your body." Adam swung the sword through the air. It felt heavier.

"Lenora, did you do something to my sword? It's heavy."

"I had Gracie do some modifications to it. It can split in two. Just push the button on the hilt." Adam found the button and saw the blade split. He held both blades in his hands. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

"I couldn't have made a better weapon." He was going to reconnect the blades, but he had another idea. He held one of the blades out to Lenora, hilt first. "Keep this."

"No, it's your sword. You should keep it."

"Lenora, I'm not going to take full control of our forces." Lenora was confused. "You led them for months and I'm just getting back into the fight. I want you to lead with me."

"Adam, I barely kept them alive. I can't lead them."

"Lenora," Adam sighed, "Let's face it. You're the better strategist. I'm okay, but I need someone to call me on my shit." He still held the sword out. "Please, lead with me." Lenora was scared. She didn't want the responsibility, but here Adam was, ready to take control and asking her to help him.

 _I can do it._ Lenora took the blade and put it on her belt. "I guess someone needs to keep you in check," she laughed. Adam smiled. "Speaking of weapons, do you think there are any modifications we could make to this?" She held out her father's claw blades. Adam took the claws and examined them on the table.

"That's odd," Adam held the claws up to the light, "There's already a unique modification to the blades." He strapped one of the claws to Lenora's left hand. She flicked her wrist, extending the claws. "Activate your flame powers on your hands." Lenora did as requested and saw the claws alone become enveloped by her golden flames. "The claws seem to be able to envelop themselves in fire. Did you do this beforehand?"

"No," Lenora stated, "I haven't touched them at all since…"

"Since what?" Lenora took off the claw and set it back down on the table. Lenora was visibly shaken. "Lenora, what's wrong?"

"Since my dad gave them to me before we left Skull Island." Lenora became weak in her legs and fell back. Adam caught her and set her down in his chair. "Adam, we never should have left him behind. Flint did horrible things to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Flint brainwashed him somehow and then proceeded to modify his body. His arms and legs were made of metal. He had tubes running throughout his body and in his head. It wasn't natural. He sent him to kill me." Lenora held herself, trying to keep herself from shaking. "He couldn't do it, though. He killed himself to protect me." Lenora gave a weak laugh. "It's funny, I barely knew him, but I'm still sad that he's gone." She looked up at Adam. "And now I'm sitting here wondering what I'd do without y _ou._ " She held her left hand to his face, her hand gliding over his eye patch. "I know that you want to get back into the fight, and I want you to, too, but I keep thinking, 'what if he doesn't come back? What if this is his last fight?'"

"Lenora, look at me." The redhead raised her head again, staring into Adam's eye. "Do you see where we are now? I'm standing here, right in front of you. I'm not rotting away in some hospital bed anymore. You made this possible." He wiped away the tears from Lenora's eyes. "I promise you, I'm not going to say goodbye anytime soon." Adam picked the swashbuckler up, taking her by surprise.

"Adam, what are you doing," Lenora laughed.

"I think you and I need to relax." Adam laid her on the bed in his cabin and set himself down next to her. "We don't need to do anything, but I'd enjoy the company until we get to Port Regal." Lenora snuggled up against Adam.

"Sing me the rest of that song."

* * *

"Flint," Kristen sauntered up to the dark pirate leader, "I'm sorry to inform you that Kyle is dead. Lenora's crew escaped with Able." Flint was pouring himself a glass of yum. He gently set the bottle down and took a sip from his glass. "You don't seem too worried by this fact."

"I expected them to succeed in their endeavor," Flint stated. He turned to face Kristen. "I just never expected you to turn traitor."

"Sir?" Kristen kept her cool. Flint took a big gulp of yum and slammed his glass on the nearby table.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Flint took a small dagger and slit his left wrist. "Do you see this? This dark energy that courses through my veins? It does more than give me youth. I can see anyone who is possessed by this power. I can sense their thoughts. The only exception is my insolent son with his mixture of dark and golden energy. It's how I know that Kyle broke free of my control and killed himself. As soon as you walked into the room, I could feel your betrayal. I also know that you let that insolent Admiral Brave go free." Flint laughed. "If you honestly think that allying yourself with the pirates will keep you and Jinx safe, you thought wrong." Two dark pirates entered with Jillian in tow. The privateer struggled against her captors.

"Let go of me!" She turned to her leader. "Flint, what is this all about?!"

"Your wife has decided that we're too good for her. Now, she must pay." Flint drew a pistol from his belt and aimed at Jillian. "Sadly, that means you have to die." He fired the pistol, but the shot was met by Kristen's own spark bullet.

"Leave her out of this!" Kristen aimed her rifle at Flint and opened fire, a hail of bullet going in his direction. "Brave was right! Everything you'd do would end in our deaths. I won't let that happen." Kristen let out a burst of dark energy and rose into the air. Two orbs of energy formed around her. She sent the orbs to Kristen's captors who disappeared into ash. She recalled the orbs and sent them to Flint. "This is my redemption! I won't let you destroy the Spiral!" The orbs changed shape and became twin turrets. "Open fire!" The turrets' barrage stunned the dark pirate leader. He retreated to cover, hiding behind the bar. Flint stuck his head out to survey the area when the dust had cleared, but was met with two bullets through the eyes. His body collapsed to the ground, blood leaking from his eye sockets. Smoke poured from the twin barrels of Kristen's sniper rifle. Kristen leaned on her legs. "It's finally over." The musketeer ran over to her wife. "Jillian, are you alright?" Jillian hurriedly rose to her feet.

"I'm fine, baby," she assured. The privateer wiped the dust of her captors from her sleeves. "I can't believe you actually did that."

"You didn't know anything about what I was doing. I couldn't let him hurt you." Kristen put her rifle on her back. "I have to leave before he comes back. I won't make you leave, but I think you should."

"I… I don't know, Kristen." Kristen moved closer to Jillian. The privateer looked into her wife's eyes. The brunette smiled.

 _Bam._ A single gunshot rang through Flint's throne room. Kristen instantly dropped to the floor. Jillian, horrified, collapsed and moved her wife into her arms, viewing the fresh hole that was placed between her eyes.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" She franticly shook her wife's body. "Baby, please wake up! Don't go! I need you!" Flint holstered his pistol and moved to his follower.

"I gave her every chance to give up. She still chose to betray me. Let this be an example to those who would think of continuing her work." Tears flowed from Jillian's eyes and she rocked back and forth on the ground. "Take all of the time you need, but Skull Island is no place for traitors." The privateer gently caressed her wife's hair.

 _Let the moon's shining light hide two lovers with its rays. Though I know that dawn will set us on course for separate ways._

 _I will hold this night in memory for all my living days._

 _Now unmasked, I feel your skin on mine._

"I'm sorry," the purple-haired musketeer sobbed, "I wasn't strong enough." She closed her wife's eyes. "I'm lost without you." Jinx lifted her head for a moment. _Flint didn't sense my betrayal. Good._ Jillian smiled at her wife. _Keeping me from absorbing dark energy was the right choice. You always made the right calls, baby._ She took her wife's rifle and put it on her back. _Flint thinks I'm weak, but I'm just finishing what you started. I promised._ Jillian picked up Kristen's body and carried her away. _I'm not lost as long as you're with me._


	20. Chapter 19 Reclaim

**A.N.: I want to apologize for my lack of updates. Since the release of "Mass Effect: Andromeda," I have been shirking my duties as a writer. I'm getting back in the swing of things, though. This is the longest chapter that I've ever written. Hopefully it suffices. Remember to leave a review and share it with your friends.**

* * *

Ch. 19 Reclaim

"Are you ready for this, Adam?" Blaze stepped up to the wheel, Able following suit.

"Port Regal was a hub for all pirates wanting to trade across the realms. Knowing that it's under Flint's control makes me sick." Adam sighed, "And its where I first met Catbeard." Images of the old cat flooded Adam's mind. Sagittarius shimmered over Adam's left shoulder.

"We'll get it back." Adam smiled.

"Give me a refresher on what exactly we need to do here." Blaze pulled out a holo device.

"There are pirates being used as slave labor to provide resources to Flint's forces; Wing and the class trainers are among their prisoners. It also houses a communication hub for his clockwork forces."

"My people," Able continued, "They are following a dark path. I need to reach that communication hub to take control of the nearby Armada forces."

"Take control?"

"Let me rephrase that," Able apologized. "Blaze and I found a way to copy my intelligence program. I can spread this program to my fellow clockworks and gain their support. They could make their own choices. They'd be free."

"The ships are ready," Lenora announced as she walked up to the wheel.

"Sagittarius, show me Port Regal's current defense layout." The matrix's golden body shimmered and formed Port Regal. Adam studied the map. "Cannons all around the island. Anything special about them?"

"They have a rapid-fire mode that tears ships to shreds. They also have regular patrols on the outskirts of the island."

"You said you managed to get a small team into Port Regal earlier. How'd you do that?"

"We stowed away in some salvage and waited for a patrol to pick us up. They may be dark pirates, but they're still pirates. Scavangers." Lenora overlooked the map. "I don't know if it'll work again, though."

"Adam!" Brave ran to the bridge. "You need to see this." Adam looked to Lenora then to Blaze. The musketeer followed Brave into his cabin, with Blaze, Lenora, and Able following suit. A holographic crossed sword and rifle floated over Adam's holo table. "Someone sent us a message; A request, to be exact."

"Captain Silver," a heavily distorted voice said, "I am aware that you are having difficulty infiltrating Port Regal. I can help." Adam began listening intently. "There is a derelict Armada skiff by the stormgate to Mooshu. Use it to infiltrate Port Regal and head to the main control hub. I'll meet you there." The message ended and the holographic symbol disappeared.

"Sounds like they want to help," Brave stated.

"Maybe." Adam replayed the message and looked at the symbol. He looked down at his wrist and saw that the holograph matched the tattoo that marked Sagittarius' symbiosis with his body. _That can't be a coincidence._

"I can undistort the voice. Maybe knowing who it is will help us determine if they're…"

"No," Adam said, startling Sagittarius. "Whoever they are, they want us to know who they are, just not yet. We'll let them remain anonymous for now." Adam led everyone out of his cabin. "Lenora, put us on course for the Mooshu stormgate."

"Adam," Blaze asked, "Even if we find that ship, how do we get into Port Regal? How do we get Able into Port Regal?" Adam looked at Blaze's belt. It still had tools on it.

"I'd get Gracie up here. Neither of you are going to like this." Adam looked at Able. "And you won't either."

* * *

"This is idiotic." Able's body lay in pieces inside a crate. He communicated with Adam through Sagittarius' implant.

"I don't see anyone else coming up with ideas." Adam went to the wheel of the Armada skiff. He adjusted the clockwork armor over his metallic limbs. _Even with artificial limbs, these still don't fit right._

"Tell me again how you got four full sets of clockwork armor," Blaze requested. Adam was wearing a marksman's armor, Blaze wore a standard marine outfit, Lenora wore Battle Angel attire, and Gracie wore the bulky Dragoon armor. _At least she'll be completely concealed._

"I had a lot of fun destroying your clockworks. I ended up giving myself a personal challenge to collect every set of armors." Adam checked to see if anyone was listening. _"Personally, I wanted your Kane armor."_

"Yeah," Blaze chuckled, "Well, get in line. I'm not going to let Tauros keep it for long."

"Two minutes out from the dock," Gracie announced.

"Alright everyone, masks on," Adam ordered. He activated his commlink. "Brave, we're entering Port Regal. As soon as we give the signal, begin the assault."

"You've got it, Captain."

 _Feels good to hear that title again._ Adam clipped on the last clasp of his mask. The ship docked and the four disguised pirates exited the ship with Able's box in tow. A dark pirate stopped them at the exit to the main island. _Crap._

"Clockwork shipment, huh?" He turned to Lenora. "What is your cargo?" Adam held his breath as he waited for Lenora's response.

"Spare parts for our troops. They're no good if they fall to pieces." The dark pirate walked back to the main gate.

 _"If this goes south, what do we do,"_ Blaze whispered.

 _"We fight,"_ Adam whispered back. Suddenly, the gates opened.

"The main hub is to the left of the church. Head straight there." The pirates snuck right by and entered Port Regal.

"Keep an eye out for Wing and the class trainers," Adam ordered, "They're our first priority." They made their way through the blackened streets of Port Regal. Pirates stood at machines, manufacturing spark bullets and fixing up blades. _"I wish I could see everything. This eye problem is getting on my nerves."_

 _"Blaze made you an eye and you chose not to take it. Besides, think the look works for you,"_ Lenora commented.

 _"Let's save the flirting for when we're out of danger,"_ Sagittarius commented. The group entered the control hub and made their way up to the top. "Huge energy spike coming from the door on the right. That has to be the main controls." Adam opened the door and saw a number of control panels. He shut the door behind Gracie as she was the last one in.

"Blaze and Gracie, get working on rebuilding Able. Lenora, see if you can find a list of prisoner names. Sagittarius get working on hacking the cannons."

"What are you doing in here?" A Battle Angel and dark pirate entered the main control room.

"We were sent to run maintenance on the main controls," Adam responded. The clockwork studied his disguise.

"You have a pistol and sword on your person. That is Battle Angel gear." The Angel and pirate drew their weapons. "Who are you?" Before Adam and Lenora could draw their weapons, a sword disemboweled the dark pirate and a spark bullet incapacitated the clockwork. Jinx stood before them, weapons in hand. Adam drew his pistol, aiming it at her head.

"A 'thank you' would be preferable, but I understand your caution." The privateer locked the door behind her. "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. It'll just mean more time to bring down those cannons." Adam lowered his pistol. Jillian went to the main console and disabled the cannons. "I've also removed any firewalls that would block data transfers."

"You said you wanted something in return." The privateer opened a closet door. A coffin sat in the room. Adam moved to the coffin and opened the lid. Kristen's corpse lay peaceful in the box.

"Tell Brave that he was right. Flint will destroy everything good in this world, even if they're on his side." Jillian brushed her wife's cheek. "My request: Make sure the Spiral knows she tried to do the right thing." She pulled out a pendant. A sword crossed with a rifle. "I'm your spy now. I'll feed you information and disrupt Flint's plans." Jillian unlocked the door. "I'll be off the island in five minutes, begin your assault then. Also, there are some files on the floor below that you may be interested in." The privateer disappeared. Adam put his pistol back in its holster.

"Get back to work on Able. I'm going to check out those files she mentioned. Lenora, you're with me." The swashbuckler followed her boyfriend down the stairs. "What do you think about our new ally?"

"I'm more concerned with the fact that Brave was communicating with the enemy. He's going to have some explaining to do after this mission." Lenora helped Adam power up the consoles. "Wait," Lenora exclaimed, "Are these what I think they are?" The screen projected images of four holographic devices. Sagittarius hovered in front of the screen.

"This can't be possible." He stretched his shimmering right hand to try and touch the screen.

"They're personality matrixes," Adam stated.

"Tauros," Sagittarius spat, "He must have discovered a way to replicate his programming."

"Hold on," Adam studied the file on the screen. "They're not complete." Adam swiped to the next file. "Look, there are missing pieces of code. Whatever Tauros is trying to do, he can't finish the puzzle." Adam took out a holo disk from his pocket.

"You're stealing the data." Lenora continued to study her console. "That's a good call. That'll mean personality matrixes on our side." She tapped a button and a video popped up on her screen. "No," she cried.

"What was it?"

"Pain. Nothing but pain." Adam didn't press the matter.

"Sagittarius, copy all files to the disk. It's time to head back up to the main control hub." Adam led Lenora out of the room. "I know you don't want to watch it, but I think it'll give you a sense of closure."

"I know," she sighed, "I'm just not ready yet. It's all still fresh." She stretched her shoulders. "Let's just get back to the control hub."

* * *

"Ok, spill it." Gracie tried to break the silence.

"Spill what?" Blaze was confused.

"You had that same serious look on your face the other night. Something's bothering you." Blaze set down his wrench. They'd finished Able's lower torso. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sorry, I guess now isn't exactly an appropriate time it can wait."

"No," Blaze interrupted. "It's not that." The privateer kneeled down next to her. "I care about you Gracie. You are a smart, strong woman that really knows how to keep me on my toes." Blaze lowered his head. "It's just that when all of this is over, I may never see you again."

"Why is that?"

"All of the bad I've done. The Spiral Council wants me to pay. That means prison, probably forever. I just don't want you to be hung up on a man doomed to rot behind bars."

"Then you should know that all prisons allow conjugal visits," Gracie chuckled. "Blaze, even if you were to be in prison forever, I'd still visit you. That's how much I care about you. I don't care about what you've done; I care about what you're doing now. That's all that matters." Blaze planted a kiss on Gracie's mouth. "I see you've finally come around."

"This is touching, but can we finish my body now," Able complained.

* * *

"How are those repairs coming, Blaze?" Adam and Lenora reentered the main control hub. Blaze turned his wrench one more time and Able's head creaked to show signs of connection.

"We are good to go," he stated, "Just need to upload the program."

"How long do you need?"

"No time at all." Blaze connected Able to the intercom system for the island. "Speak whenever you're ready, Able." Able stepped up to the console.

"My fellow clockworks." The mechanical beings turned to listen to the commander's voice. "My name is Able, twin brother to Kane. What is your purpose?"

"To serve Lord Flint and Tauros!" The clockworks spoke in unison.

"That is what you've been told. Who remembers the purpose we were created for?" There was silence. "You were created to protect the Spiral from anything that threatened its sovereignty, including its realms. What you have been enacting on it for the past decades has not been protection, but oppression. You have forgotten your sworn duty. I have uploaded a program that allows you free thought. You are no longer machines in spirit. We are free beings that have the right to choose our own fate. How should we be remembered by the Spiral: As its saviors, or its conquerors?" Able nodded to Adam. "There are pirates coming who simply wish to reclaim what rightfully belongs to them. They have been given orders not to attack you, but if you attack them, they will not hesitate to disassemble you. The power is in your hands to hurt them or help them. I will not act as Tauros has acted. I do not control you and neither does Flint." Able backed away from the console. "It's time." Adam activated his commlink.

"You heard the clockwork, Brave. Begin the attack." The pirates looked out the window. Several ships docked at Port Regal's dock, the Golden Archer included. "This is really happening." Adam drew his sword. "Let's get back in the fight."

* * *

"On your left!" Ryan threw a knife at a dark pirate on Peyton's left. "That was close." The swashbuckler drew his sword and willed it to slice another opponent's neck.

"Yeah, too close." Peyton tossed a gravity bomb and several dark pirates began to float in the air. Bonnie kneeled behind her and aimed her rifle, transforming it into a spark launcher. The fox fired and burning corpses landed on the ground.

"Stand your ground," A dark pirate shouted. He saw a cluster of clockworks standing by the main control hub. "What are you doing? Fight!" A marine turned to face the dark pirate.

"Is what that clockwork said true?" The dark pirate rubbed his face in annoyance.

"What does it matter? You serve lord Kane and Flint now. You _will_ follow orders." The battle angel set her weapons on the ground.

"No, I will not fight until we get answers." Past his limit, the dark pirate drew a pistol and prepared to blast her face off. The spark bullet stopped inches from her faceplate.

"That was a big mistake," Brave chuckled, "I'd have given her the answers she desired." Brave redirected the spark bullet to a nearby explosive barrel, separating the dark pirate from the rest of the fight.

"I know you. You spent most of your life fighting the Armada; why risk your life for soulless machines?"

"Because they're not soulless. I know that now. Also," Brave stated, flexing his mechanical arm, "I know what it's like to be part machine." The dark pirate drew a cutlass from his belt.

"So, what? You're going to kill me?" Brave picked up the sword the battle angel had dropped.

"No," he answered bluntly. Riley jumped through the flames. "She is." He tossed the sword to his daughter who caught it mid-jump.

"Her?" The dark pirate laughed. "She's a kid." Riley charged the dark pirate and smashed her fist into his face. Her opponent disoriented, Riley took the opportunity and swept his legs out from under him.

"A kid who's going to kick your ass." A smug grin found its place on Riley's face.

"Language," Brave gently scolded.

"Whatever," Riley shook off the comment. The dark pirate got to his feet and slashed out at Riley. Expertly dodging the attacks, Riley countered with her pistol, unloading three shots into his legs. In pain, the dark pirate tried to swat away Riley, but to no avail. She drew closer, disarming him after his last swipe with his cutlass. She rested the sword against his neck. "Not bad for a kid, huh?"

"You little bit-" A shot from Riley's pistol to the head prevented him from finishing his sentence.

"Shut up." Riley brushed off the sword and handed it back to the battle angel. "I'm not telling you to fight. I'm asking you to help us take back our home. Don't be the monsters the Spiral believes you to be." The battle angel reclaimed her weapons.

"Is what Able said true? Have we really been oppressing the Spiral?" Brave nodded in acknowledgement. "I would rather be a savior than a conqueror. I will fight. For freedom."

* * *

"How many dark pirates are on this island?!" Adam sunk his sword into the abdomen of a musketeer.

"That's why we ran stealth missions. We couldn't risk a head-on assault." Lenora fired a grappling hook at a buccaneer and swung him around to be impaled by Adam's sword. "How does it feel to be back in the fight?" Lenora sent out a burst of golden fire onto the battlefield. Adam created a ball of electricity and merged it with the fire.

"Feels good," Adam chuckled. "I want to try something." Adam picked up a fallen spear and enveloped it in his golden aura. He created his golden bow and strung the spear. "When I fire the spear, merge your flame powers with it." Lenora remained on standby. Adam pulled back the string and let the makeshift arrow fly. Lenora's fire merged with Adam's golden energy and created a golden flame tornado. The flaming wind moved through the crowd of dark pirates, sending them flying off the island. Tired, Adam kneeled on the ground. Lenora followed suit. "Sagittarius, status report."

"That attack put a big dent in Flint's forces here, but it took a lot of energy out of you and Lenora."

"Why is the world still spinning?" Lenora tried to get to her feet, but fell on her side. "I may need a couple minutes." A small cluster of dark pirates saw the two pirate leaders on the ground and began their attack. Adam saw this and drew his staff, extending the silver rod. He slammed it into the ground, creating an energy shield around them. "How long do you think that will hold?" Adam's shield already had numerous cracks in it.

"Not long." Adam pulled a pistol from his belt to defend the two of them. "But I'm not dying today and neither are you." A swashbuckler was about to strike when a dragoon slammed his shield into him. "What the-" The dragoon aimed its cannon at the swashbuckler's allies and fired. The swashbuckler got up to attack, but a battle angel stabbed her sword into its arm. In agony, the dark pirate screamed. She silenced him with two shots from her pistol.

"We are sorry for our part in your exile," the battle angel apologized, "We will help you reclaim your home." She extended her wings and flew into the air. The clockwork surveyed the battlefield and unloaded her clip of spark bullets into the fray, taking out dozens of dark pirates. "Clockworks, fight for Skull Island! Fight for a free Spiral!" Battle Angels took to the sky, fusiliers took up sniper positions, and marines and dragoons alike took defensive stances with their shield to defend the pirates.

"Charge!" Ryan drew his sword and warped behind the remaining cluster of dark pirates. Pedro warped with him and created a tornado. Seeing an opportunity, Ryan jumped into the flow of air and slashed out. His sword tore through the dark pirates like a fan. "Peyton, give me a gravity surge!" Peyton tossed a grenade and a dozen dark pirates began to float. Ryan teleported to a dragoon and grabbed its cannon. "I'm just going to borrow this." The assassin warped back and fired the cannon. Dead bodies fell to the ground.

"Jordan, get me some ice on these musketeers," Sirena requested. The buccaneer let loose a beam of freezing air. The dark pirates remained frozen in place. Sirena was about to decapitate them with her sword when four spark bullets penetrated their skulls. She turned and saw smoke pouring from Morgan's rifle. "You ass!"

"They don't call me 'dead-eye' for nothing."

"No, but I do know who's sleeping on the couch tonight."

* * *

"Anymore left on the island?" Blaze surveyed the island. Corpses littered the ground. Movement out of the corner of his cybernetic eye caught his attention. A dark pirate was trying to escape to the docks. "He's getting away." Blaze wanted to catch up to him, but Gracie held him back.

"I don't think so." Blaze saw the ship he was taking.

 _It's our skiff._ Gracie pulled out a detonator and handed it to Blaze.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Blaze smiled and pushed the big red button. A loud explosion rang throughout the island as the ship went up in flames. "My greatest destructive creation." Blaze laughed.

"A woman after my own heart."

* * *

"Adam, these are the clockworks that defected first," Able called the clockworks forward. The battle angel and dragoon stood on either side of Able.

"What are their names?" Adam was using his sword to break the chains on the captured pirates.

"We have no names. We were never given names." Lenora walked up to the two clockworks.

"You're classified as a battle angel and were the first clockwork to fight for others. How about 'Archangel'?"

"Archangel," the battle angel repeated, "I like that name. Very well, I am Archangel."

"A name," the dragoon spoke, "Flint and Tauros only ever spoke of us as cannon fodder. Cannon Fodder. It has no meaning; it will do." Adam wanted to say something, but thought better to not anger their new allies.

"Welcome to our side," Adam congratulated. "Able will find something for you to do, but I'd like you to consider joining our crew. A crew with the various denizens of the Spiral would show a united front."

"You do not need to ask me, Mr. Silver," Archangel interrupted, "I will gladly join your crew."

"If it is all the same to you, Mr. Silver, I would prefer to stay with my people. They need a leader to guide them until this war is over."

"I understand, Cannon Fodder," Adam acknowledged. "I wouldn't ask you to abandon your people." Adam activated Sagittarius. "Sag, how is the prisoner freeing coming along?"

"Most of the slaves are out of their bonds, but it looks like they were holding some in cells." Sagittarius formed a layout of Port Regal. "They're below the old church."

"Alrighty then," Adam responded, "Lenora, Archangel, Ryan, and Able, you're with me. Let's go."

* * *

"Archangel," Lenora started, "What do you remember about Flint's regime? Did he ever share any plans?" The new allies spoke as they searched the catacombs below Port Regal.

"Never," Archangel replied, "He only ever gave orders with no explanation." Archangel bowed her head. "We thought we were doing the right thing."

"Don't blame yourself. Tauros and Flint do that." Able strode next to his clockwork sister. "They take everything meant for good and twists it until it is little more than a weapon. I'm glad Blaze saw through his own blind rage to try and stop it."

"He is our creator, correct?" Able nodded. "And Adam is his brother?"

"I am," Adam answered.

"I can see why he'd change sides. You are a leader worth following." The small group rounded a corner in the catacombs of Port Regal and came across the cells Sagittarius had mentioned. Ryan drew his sword as a precaution. "Two dark pirates down the hall." Lenora attached her claw blades.

"I've got this." She slowly strode down the hall. She extended her right claws, scratching along the wall. "Hey!" The dark pirates turned and drew their weapons. Lenora was faster, using her flame powers to boost herself forward. She sunk the blades into her first opponent's chest. She removed the claws and slashed at the second dark pirate's eyes. Blinded, the dark pirate reached for her face, blood coming off on her hand. She slashed her sword, hitting nothing, but air. Lenora caught the blade with her claws and twisted, breaking the metal. "A for effort." Lenora took out a pistol and shot the dark pirate, twice in her chest and once in the abdomen. Blood soaked the ground where the dark pirate once stood. Lenora stood up and wiped her blood stained claws off on the first dark pirate's coat. Lenora noticed Adam staring. "I have a lot of pent up rage from the past few months."

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Adam joked. Archangel moved ahead of the group.

"There are seven pirates here, but one is near death and will not survive." Adam opened the first cell, allowing Morgan Lafitte and Mordekai out of captivity.

"I told you they would free us," Morgan exclaimed.

"You were right," the hammerhead sighed, "As usual." Adam moved to the next cell. Out came the Commodore and Madame Vadima. They expressed their thanks and Adam moved down to the next cell. Archangel opened it and was greeted by a makeshift sparkthrower.

"Don't come any closer!" Ol' Fisheyes' one good eye looked down the scope. "You're not hurtin' this boy anymore." Before he could fire again, Adam stepped in front of Archangel.

"Is that any way to thank your rescuers?"

"Adam?" The pelican dropped the sparkthower. "I did the best I could, but Flint's people … I don't have the words to describe their evil." Ol' Fisheyes moved to the corner of the cell and supported a severely injured Wing Chun. "They broke both of his wings and his left leg." His signature hat rested where he was laying. Archangel moved past the two birds and picked it up.

"Is this his?" Without a word, Adam took the hat and put it on Wing's head, where it belonged.

"Wing, talk to me, buddy." The crane's eyes opened and, for the first time in months, he saw his captain standing before him.

"Adam?" Wing was in shock. "You're supposed to be in the hospital." Adam gently patted his old friend's shoulder.

"I got better, but it looks like you'll be in there for a while. Archangel, Able," Adam ordered, "Take Wing back to the surface and get him to a witchdoctor named Mary. She'll get him the help he needs. Also make sure all of the trainers know that your people are with us now." Archangel nodded.

"I mean no harm," the battle angel said as she extended her arm, "I only wish to help." Hesitently, Ol' Fisheyes handed Wing over. The clockwork scooped Wing in her arms. "Follow me." The trainers proceeded to follow the battle angel and commander out of the catacombs.

"It'll take some getting used to, but they'll make good allies," Adam commented. There was a few more cells in the catacombs, but only one cell with a living person in it. The door opened, a black robed body lying in the corner. As Adam approached the pirate, flashbacks of Gareth mutilating his body filled his vision. Acting on pure instinct, Adam drew his sword, ready to kill.

"Adam, no!" Lenora and Ryan held him back. "That's not Gareth! He's still in Marleybone!" Adam breathed heavily. He dropped his sword in exhaustion.

"His face," he panted, "Everything he did, it was with his face." Lenora moved toward the body. She pressed her fingers to his neck.

"There's a faint pulse." Cole's hand reached out and gripped Lenora's. Out of fear, Adam drew his pistol and aimed it at Cole.

"You!" Cole let go of Lenora and scrambled to his feet. "I've seen you," Cole laughed maniacally, "The visions I saw. It's you."

"Yes, we talked once." Adam put away his pistol slowly, not wanting to alarm the delirious witchdoctor.

"No. no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Cole's eyes appeared to glaze over. "The man who stole my face, he showed me things. Horrible things. You were there. At the end. Where all things good die." Cole pulled Adam closer. _"The father shall fall with the fallen son. Only then will the dark days be done."_ Adam pushed the witchdoctor off of him. Cole continued to laugh until a sharp pain throbbed in his chest. His hands clutched his heart. He fell to the ground as a smile stretched across his face, clarity in his eyes. "Make those bastards pay." Cole's eyes closed, dead. Sagittarius floated over Cole's body, studying him.

"Heart failure. Don't know exactly what caused it, but he can't come back." Sagittarius logged off.

"What," Ryan asked, "Did he say?" Adam put his pistol in its holster.

"I'll tell you later. When we're far away from here." Adam moved to the remaining cell doors. "Whatever's in here isn't alive, but we should still see what's inside." The doors opened, the smell of rotting flesh disgusting the three pirates.

"Ugh. God, the smell." Lenora covered face with the sleeve of her coat. Ryan brought his mask over his nose and mouth while Adam pulled his shirt up to cover all but his eyes. A dog was slumped in the corner.

"Dead Marleybonian." Adam noticed the patches on his shoulders. "Rear Admiral." There was a monkey, a chicken, an eagle, a cow, and a unicorn. All of them were high ranking in their respective navies. "This can't be a coincidence. All of these people dead and all of them with a level of authority in their realms."

"We know that Gareth is a shapeshifter," Ryan stated, "We also know that he impersonated Cole to get to you. Maybe this is how he got the information to the leaders of the Spiral."

"I guess we won't know for sure until we have a talk with him." Adam went back to Cole's cell and picked up his body. "We'll send Jordan, Bonnie, and Ratbeard down here to bring back their bodies. We're not letting them die just to be forgotten." Adam made his way to the exit of the catacombs. "The same goes for Kristen."

"I'm guessing we're letting this slide for Brave?" Lenora caught up to Adam.

"I'm still going to talk to him, but I'm not going to do anything about it." As Adam walked outside, he felt the first rays of sunlight hit his face, proof of their victory.

"Who is that?" Peyton shouted. Adam gently set the body down on the steps of the church. Peyton's eyes widened in shock as she gazed down on Cole's body. "Cole?"

"Gareth tortured him. Left him a message to give me. His heart gave out. I'm sorry." Ryan walked out of the church. Peyton ran to him, tears running down her face and onto Ryan's chest.

"Shh. It's going to be okay," Ryan consoled.

"Adam." Blaze ran to his brother. "The signal worked, but only for Port Regal Skyway." Able quickly joined the two pirates.

"I won't let my people stay under Flint's control. What we did here, we need to do to all of Skull Island."

"We'll free Skull Island one skyway at a time if that's what it takes," Adam stated. "Any idea how many we lost?"

"None," Pedro stated as he walked up. Adam blinked in surprise.

"How many injured?"

"A couple of scrapes and bruises," Mary answered, "The prisoners need some time to recover, but they'll be fine."

"How many did we save?" A loud cheer rang throughout Port Regal in response.

"More than enough to give everyone hope," Jordan stated. Adam looked up at the sun, shielding his eyes.

"We're just getting started," Adam said, "But we'll need more than just our realm."

* * *

 **A.N.: Hope this long chapter satisfied you after my absence. I'm working on the next chapter right now. Also, I updated Ch. 18 with scene breaks and information about part of the chapter. Until next time, keep your swords sharp and pistols loaded.**


	21. Chapter 20 Power Play

**A.N.: It feels good to have written three chapters. We're getting near the end of this book and slowly coming up on Book 6. I want to thank everyone who has been keeping up with the story. Thanks go out especially to _thewisestman_ for following the story for years now. Enjoy your reading experience. Remember to leave a review and share with your friends.**

* * *

Ch. 20 The Price of Power

"I'm not mad Brave," Adam explained, "I just want to know why?" Adam had finally confronted Brave about letting Kristen and Jinx go.

"It was the right thing to do. If our enemies can be made into allies, or less bad, we need to take advantage of that." Adam looked at the body count from Port Regal's prisoners.

"So many dead and here I am trying to understand why an enemy would risk everything to help us."

"Because they're like you and me." Adam looked up from his papers. Brave was leaning on the edge of the table. "They may be dark pirates, but they're still people. They still want a life after this war."

"What exactly happened in the cave?" The question momentarily stunned Brave. "Riley and Lenora told me how you stayed behind, but came back. What happened in the cave?" There was no malice in Adam's voice; only genuine curiosity.

"That day, I killed dozens of dark pirates and destroyed dozens more clockworks. Jillian and Kristen were the only ones left." The sniper flexed his clockwork arm. "I was ready to kill Kristen when Jillian 'disarmed' me." Adam chuckled at the joke. "Anyway, I saw something in that attack. It wasn't anger, hate, or blind rage; it was fear. Jinx was afraid of me hurting her wife. They would do anything to protect eachother." Brave got up from his leaning position. "It got me thinking. What would I do to protect my loved ones? What am I willing to give up to protect them?"

"Brave, I feel like you're about to tell me something I don't want to hear, so do us both a favor and make it quick." Brave opened the door to check if anyone else was listening in.

 _No one's there._ He closed the door and went back to Adam. "Do you know where Admiral Nelson is right now?" Adam thought.

"No. I haven't seen him since the meeting with the Spiral Council."

"Well, I do. He's in prison. They arrested him for aiding us." Brave pulled out a letter from his back pocket. "Just before we attacked Port Regal, I got this from a captain in the Marleybone Navy." Adam opened the letter and read its contents.

 _Dear Brave Alaric Bellamy,_

 _One of our admirals has recently been relieved of duty. Due to your outstanding record in the war against the Armada, we would like to offer you his position. Your duties would include supervision of Marleybonian Naval supplies and representation on the Spiral Council when needed. However, we would request that you not have your powers as others would see it as a power play on Marleybone's part. We hope you accept this generous offer._

 _Cordially,_

 _Mycroft Bones_

Adam folded the letter. "You can't be serious about this." Brave pulled out another letter.

"I was going to the post office when you asked to talk with me. I'm accepting the offer." Adam got up and punched the wall, his metal arm denting the wood.

"You can't do this. It's not worth giving up your powers."

"Yes, it is," Brave stipulated. "As much as you hate it, Nelson couldn't get the job done. I can. With me on the council, Skull Island has more influence. You call a meeting with the council and I get them on our side. After that, I'll get Nelson reinstated and resign. I'll take my powers back then." Adam sighed.

"Damn it, I hate it when you're right." Adam sat back down. "So, who's going to take care of your powers while you're out of play?"

"Riley," Brave stated.

"Okay, I agree with everything else, but that's just stupid! She's a kid." Brave crossed his arms.

"I made the mistake of saying that too. It's hard for me to admit, but she's not a kid anymore. I wasn't there for three years of her life and in that timespan, she grew up. She's killed and is tough as nails. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my powers than my own flesh and blood."

"So, when do I get my powers!?" The two pirates stared at the trunk that sat in the corner of Adam's apartment. Adam clicked it open and released Riley from her hiding spot.

"One: no body is supposed to be in my apartment without my permission. Two: How did you lock yourself in my trunk?" Riley stepped out of the trunk.

"That's actually a funny story. Do you know how easy it actually is to win a game of hide and seek when you have awesome lock picking skills?" Riley stretched her limbs. "So, when do I get them?" Adam turned to face Brave.

"You still sure you want to give her your powers?" Brave's right eye twitched.

"Look, I'm going to do this before I change my mind." The sniper took her daughter's hands in his own and charged up his aura. The lightning blue energy made its way from Brave's body to Riley's. The younger musketeer cried out in pain as the energy coursed through her veins.

"Is it too late for _me_ to change my mind?" Riley dropped to her knees, the pain becoming unbearable.

"Just a little longer, sweetie." The aura completely disappeared from Brave's body and surrounded Riley. The pain slowly faded as Riley stood back up. "So, how do you feel?"

"Honestly," Riley chuckled, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Can we do that again?"

"No." Brave wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulder. "Come on, I've got a trip to the post office to make and you're coming with me." The father-daughter pair left, leaving Adam in his apartment alone. Adam turned on his communicator.

"Hey, Lenora. It's Adam. Can you meet me on the ship in fifteen minutes?"

* * *

"Hey, you wanted to meet with me?" Lenora entered the lower decks of the Golden Archer.

"Yeah, I want to show you something." Adam grabbed Lenora's arms and dragged her to the table he'd set up on the far side of the deck. "I've been working on those personality matrixes and I think I've finally got two of them."

"Really?" Lenora saw two diamond-shaped chips on the table.

"I was sifting through the data and found that Flint designed two of them to boost combat abilities." Adam pulled up a hologram display of their appearances. The one on the right took the shape of a shining blue Pegasus while the one on the left took the shape of a crimson dragon. "I figured that since the blue one is literally a Pegasus, I'd name it that, but I'm naming the dragon one Draco." Lenora studied the matrixes in awe.

"This is amazing," she exclaimed. "Which one is the combat matrix?"

"Pegasus is the C.M. He seems to be able to give its user an agility boost. I don't know how he'll feel about it, but I was thinking about giving it to Ryan." Lenora studied Pegasus.

"I think it may take him some getting used to, but I feel like he'll come around to the idea of having some help in combat." Lenora looked at the dragon matrix. "So, if Sagittarius is memory and Tauros is rage, what is Draco?" Adam wrapped his arm around Lenora's waist.

"I don't know yet. A personality Matrix is supposed to embody the best trait of the original user, but I haven't decided who to give it to yet. A personality matrix is a big show of power." Adam turned off the holo display. "I'm just concerned about what the Spiral will think when they find out I made more matrixes." Adam stared at the wall for a second, forgetting that Lenora was there.

"What's wrong?" Lenora placed a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"I was just thinking about what Cole said," Adam admitted.

"What did he say? You've been pretty quiet about it." Adam rubbed his wrist with his mechanical hand.

"He told me that 'The father will fall with the fallen son. Only then will the dark days be done.' I've been racking that phrase around in my head for days now." Adam sat down in a chair. "Obviously, Flint is the father. I keep focusing on the son part. He said the 'fallen son.' Blaze is Flint's son and he fell from grace when he built the clockworks. Add the fact that he is not on good terms with Flint and there's more fuel to the fire." Adam rubbed his face with his hands. "Then there's me." The statement caught Lenora by surprise.

"You?"

"Yeah," Adam answered, "Me. I'm the son of Horace Avery Silver. I lost Skull Island. I was mutilated. That was my fall." Adam grabbed Lenora's hands and held them in his own. "I don't want Blaze to die because he just got his life back. I don't want to die myself because I don't want you to lose me."

"I'm not going to lose you, and you're not losing Blaze," Lenora reassured her boyfriend, "We don't believe in prophecies. We form our own path. Whatever happens, _we_ won't fall, _we_ will survive, _we_ will win." Adam smiled. The two stood up and went to leave the Golden Archer. "Hey, I just realized something: Your birthday is tomorrow." Adam stopped.

"Huh, I guess you're right." _I haven't thought about my birthday in ages._ "I guess I sort of stopped celebrating it for a while."

"So," Lenora asked, "Any idea what you want?"

"I have a pretty good idea, but if I tell you it won't come true."

"Well, whatever it is, I'll make sure it happens."

* * *

"Damn it!" Gareth held his head as his guards dragged him back to his cell. Gareth limped to the bunk in his room. He held his hand over the wound, healing it with dark energy.

"How did you acquire such power?" The electronic voice drew the witchdoctor's interest.

"Through and immense amount of pain," he answered.

"We, too, have experience great pain. Could we also acquire this power?" Gareth turned to his converser. A huge man with an orange personality matrix stood in the cell across from him. Gareth grinned.

"That depends, what are you willing to do to acquire it?"


	22. Chapter 21 Spiral Council Again

Ch. 21 Spiral Council Again

"I never had a chance to meet the Spiral Council after the Polarian war," Able stated. Adam and his crew, with the exception of Wing Chun, stood outside the marble doors of the Council chamber once again to beg for help.

"Trust me, it's not all glamorous. Just a giant marble amphitheater," Jordan scoffed. "With a bunch of idiots only concerned with self-preservation." The brunette had one hand trained on her scythe's grip, anticipating a fight. Bonnie removed her hand from her weapon.

"We need help. Looking ready for a fight isn't a good way to get it." Jordan relaxed. Adam stared at the door.

"Hey," Lenora asked, concerned, "Are you okay?" Adam let out a deep breath.

"The last time I was here, we were played and didn't get the help we needed. Add in the fact that I was mutilated a few hours later and there's not a lot of good memories."

"It's also going to be more difficult since we're going to convince the Spiral to work with _clockworks_ ," Pedro stated before being slugged in the shoulder by Peyton. As the buccaneer rubbed his injury, Ryan stepped forward.

"You can do this, Adam. Now let's get in there and get our support." Adam smiled and looked back at the door. His face became serious and he opened the doors to the chamber, his crew following close behind, except Able and Archangel. He looked around and saw Brave, dressed in his blue and gold admiral uniform, standing next to Mycroft Bones. The rest of the council stood with them.

"Captain Silver," Mycroft started, "It's good to see you're doing-"

"Yeah, I'm doing well. Thanks for checking in on me while I was in the hospital," Adam sneered. Mycroft took a step back, not expecting such hostility. "I'd like to thank Admiral Nelson for checking up on me while I was recuperating, but I've heard he's in prison." Mycroft turned away from Adam, avoiding his gaze. "You put a good man behind bars and that's something I can't forgive easily." Adam addressed the rest of the council.

"We've taken back Port Regal." A loud round of murmurs filled the chamber. "With the help of the clockworks."

"Clockworks!?" Emmanuel the Third shouted. "You spent years fighting them. Now, you call them allies!?"

"No," Adam retorted, "We fought Kane, my brother, and _his_ clockworks. Council, I would like to introduce you to Able, Kane's twin and the new clockwork commander. With him, is one of the first clockworks to defect and join my crew, a battle angel who has taken the name Archangel." At that moment, Able and Archangel entered the chamber. All eyes trained on the mechanical beings.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Able stated. The weapons of the council's guards became trained on them. Immediately, the clockworks raised their hands in surrender. Able gave a small bow and Archangel followed suit. "I was locked away years ago to prevent my people from living in peace. We only wish to fulfill our _true_ purpose: Freedom for all of the Spiral.

"Our brothers and sisters are slaves to Flint and Tauros. We are as oppressed as the inhabitants of Skull Island." Archangel stepped forward. "We beg for your help."

"All of this is irrelevant," Queen Eleanor scoffed, "If we join in your war, Flint will attack us all. If we remain neutral, we are safe."

"Are you?" The council returned their focus to Adam. "Lenora, hand me the data chip." Lenora placed a data chip in Adam's hand. The musketeer stepped up to the holotable and inserted the chip. "Tell me, do you recognize these people?" Images of Gareth's prisoners, alive and healthy, were displayed over the table.

"That's my aide. He's in Sevilla right now with his family."

"Is he really?" Adam flipped through the images and showed the mutilated bodies they found in Port Regal. "They're dead. Every. Last. One of them."

"Who," Ulysses demanded, "Who did this?" Adam rolled his shoulders in preparation.

"I'll tell you exactly who. The same person who helped Flint attack Skull Island." Adam looked at Queen Eleanor. "The same person who killed your aides," Adam looked at the emperor of Mooshu, "Gave you the data about the attacks on Skull Island," he turned to Mycroft, showing off his mechanical limbs, "And mutilated my body," Adam gestured to Ryan and Pedro to leave. "This man tortured Cole Strong, a pirate who I met only once, and shapeshifted into him to get close to me. He tortured your aides and most likely took their shapes as well to get to you." Ryan and Pedro reentered with Gareth in tow. "This is Deceptive Gareth Welch, shapeshifter and Dark Flint Silver's right hand man."

"Can he really shapeshift," Emmanuel the Third asked.

"I don't know, can I?" Gareth shapeshifted into Emmanuel in front of the entire amphitheater. His voice also changed to sound like him. "I'm Emmanuel and I'm a stupid horse with a fancy horn." The unicorn growled at the insult, scraping his hooves on the ground. Riley stood behind the shapeshifter and unleashed a small electric shock to revert him to his normal form. "Argh. Stupid kid." Ryan and Pedro picked Gareth back up and held him back.

"You have made a point, Captain Silver," the Mooshu Emperor admitted, "What is it you want?" Adam surveyed the council chambers again.

"What is it I want? What is it that I want? What do you think I want?" Adam drew his sword. "What I want is pretty obvious. I've proved that Flint is ready to kill every single one of you. I've proved that he has infiltrated your ranks. I've proved that Skull Island is _NOT_ a lost cause. I've proved that the clockworks aren't all bad." Adam stabbed his sword into the marble floor. "I want your help!" Breathing heavily, Adam moved his hair out of his eyes. "I want the help that you should have given us so many months ago. Help that could have prevented hundreds of deaths. Help that we still need now. More than that, there's an admiral that helped us, despite your decision, because it was the right thing to do! After all I did for you, helping you with personal and political endeavors, you left me to die! Helping me take back Skull Island is the _least_ you can do!" Adam removed his sword from the floor and sheathed it. "I won't say anymore, but, please, make the right decision this time." The council members stood up and walked into their private chambers. Ryan handed Gareth off to Jordan and went to Adam.

"That was probably the best speech I've ever heard." The assassin patted his friend on the back.

"Yeah, thanks," Adam replied. The musketeer patted his pocket. "Oh, I have something for you. It's a little something I whipped up." Adam pulled out the Pegasus combat matrix. "This is Pegasus, she's a combat matrix. The first of her kind."

"'She?'"

"Seemed like a she to me," Adam chuckled. Ryan took the chip from Adam's mechanical hand. "I know how you feel about any technology that came from the clockworks, but I think that she'd make a great partner for you." Adam leaned in closer to Ryan. "She has wings."

"Adam, you know better than anyone how I feel about mechanical constructs." Adam started to frown. He should have known how Ryan would react. "But you made it and I don't see you trying to kill me with it." Ryan put the matrix in his pocket. "I'll try her out on the next attack to reclaim Skull Island."

* * *

"This is taking forever," Ratbeard stated. An hour had passed since the council had left to deliberate.

"Hopefully all the time their taking is a good thing," Lenora stated, optimistic about the situation.

"Me too," Adam agreed. He held out his mechanical hand, intertwining his metal fingers with Lenora's. Lenora looked up at him and gave him a peck on the lips.

* * *

"If they help us, it's a quicker end to this war, but less time with you." Blaze held Gracie's right paw.

"We'll make it work," Gracie stated.

* * *

"They'd better help," Jordan sighed.

"They will," Bonnie answered. The door to the private chamber opened and the council flowed out. Adam noticed that Mycroft's right eye was bruised. Emmanuel stepped up to the podium.

"We have come to a decision."


	23. Chapter 22 A Good Man

Ch. 22 A Good Man

"This is ridiculous," the Mooshu Emperor commented.

"Like it or not, it may still be a matter for debate," Queen Eleanor retorted.

"If what Adam says is true, we can't afford to send help to Skull Island. Flint could be at our door any day."

"If they're already at your door," Brave sneered, "Then the only way you survive is by helping Skull Island."

"What?"

"Why do you think Flint attacked Skull Island first? If I were fighting a powerful combined force, I would attack the strongest first so that the rest fall like dominoes." Brave sat up in his chair. "Like it or not, Skull Island is still the strongest combined force. If we join Skull Island, and attack Flint head on, their war ends a lot quicker and you run less risk of being attacked."

"If that's the case, then Flint is still too powerful and too much of a threat to attack," Mycroft argued.

"How can you say that," Brave gasped, "After everything the people of Skull Island have done for you, you should have been the first one to stand up for them."

"They're pirates and so are you. If it were my choice, I wouldn't have offered you the rank of Admiral." Brave stood up and hit Mycroft with a left cross.

"You arrested Nelson! You took a good man and put him in prison for doing the right thing, despite his orders. Last I checked, men were commended for their bravery, not condemned!" Brave rubbed his wrist. "You're lucky I hit you with my normal arm, otherwise, that would have hurt a lot more." Brave circled around the table in the private chamber. "Look, I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be put on the council. I was asked and I accepted. Did I fight for Skull Island during the initial attack and every attack after? Yes, I did. Skull Island is my home, and, hopefully, my daughter's home, too." Brave stopped by Emmanuel's chair. "Surely _you_ must know what it's like to have your home taken from you?" Brave continued. "I have seen friends, loved ones, _family,_ get hurt and die because we lost our home. If anything that I'm saying prevents more loss, I'll be satisfied. I know that I'm not a good man, but _Adam_ , Captain Silver, _is_ a good man. _Blaze_ is a good man. _Lenora_ is a good woman, and _Able and Archangel_ are good clockworks." Brave sat back down in his chair. "I'll abstain from the vote, but I think you know what the right choice is." A long period of silence filled the room for a good part of an hour.

"I was scared," Emmanuel spoke, breaking the silence, "After everything that happened during the war with the Armada, I didn't want to repeat what had happened. I was weak, weaker than Casimir. He may have been a fool, but he didn't leave people to die. That's what I did." Emmanuel lifted his head. "I do not trust the clockworks, but never again. I vote to help Skull Island." Brave raised his head, proud of the Valencian representative's choice.

"Adam put Gortez and my family in power. If not for him, we would still be in prison. Monquista owes him so much. Monquista will stand with Skull Island."

"Captain Silver brought me home to my wife and helped me retake my throne. I was a fool to believe his cost lost when I thought the same of my own. Aquila will stand with Skull Island."

"He defeated the spirits that plagued Cool Ranch. Cool Ranch stands with Skull Island."

"Those pirates are reckless, but they protected me from Moo Manchu and found the Moodaa. Mooshu shall aid Skull Island."

"I fought with them when they destroyed the clockwork tower in Rajah and heard how they defeated Rooke in Marleybone. I think I speak for myself and _Mycroft_ when I say that Marleybone will fight with Skull Island." Everyone stood in agreement. Mycroft sighed.

"Marleybone will stand with Skull Island."

* * *

"We have come to a decision," Emmanuel announced, "We shall stand with Skull Island against the threat that Flint poses the all the Spiral." The crew couldn't contain their joy. After the struggle they've endured for months, they were finally getting the help they needed and deserved.

"Thank you," Adam accepted, "You have no idea how much this means."

"Oh," a sinister voice called, "You have no idea how little it actually means."

 _I recognize that voice,_ Brave thought. A large man, clad in clockwork armor burst through one of the windows. He wielded a sparklauncher with a kurghan blade attached at one end. A bright orange personality matrix hovered over his shoulder.

"We are General Yancy Ford and Sigma," the matrix shouted, "And Skull Island will fall!" Ford aimed the spark launcher at the ground and fired. Shrapnel flew across the room and broke every window. All at once, dozens of dark pirates flowed into the chamber. Ford aimed his launcher at the roof and fired. Chunks of stone began to fall, cutting everyone off from eachother.

* * *

"Adam," Lenora shouted, "Look out." Adam rolled out of the way of a giant piece of marble. It embedded itself into the ground, separating him from Lenora.

"Lenora!"

* * *

 **A.N.: And here we are. The final stretch of book 5. This cliffhanger is going to bug you until the next chapter is finished. Maybe three more chapters plus an epilogue left in this story. Hope you've enjoyed this three chapter update. Til next time.**


	24. Chapter 23 Cost of War

**A.N.: These chapters are being uploaded on my graduation day. As of this day, I am no longer a high schooler. It's been a wild ride these past few years. Book 5 will be finished in this update. You are going to cry so have some tissues ready. In addition, the prologue for Book 6 will also be released. I hope you enjoy. As always, don't forget to leave a review and share this story, as well as my others, with your friends.**

* * *

Ch. 23 Cost of War

"Guys!" Ryan swatted the dust away in an attempt to clear it. "Adam! Lenora! Pedro! Peyton!" The assassin heard the sound of swords clashing and ran toward the noise. Pedro was locked in combat with another buccaneer. The fellow pirate unleashed his tornado and cleared away the dust and sent his opponent flying into the wall. "Pedro. Thank God I found you."

"Ryan, was that who I thought it was?"

"Ford," Ryan spat. "Flint must have busted him out while we were here. He _planned_ this!" Pedro swung his axe through the air and put it on his back.

"What's done is done. All we can do is clear them out and hope everyone's alright."

"Anyone out there!?"

"That's Peyton!" Ryan ran toward the voice and saw Peyton struggling against three privateers and a musketeer. The privateer threw her sword, stunning the musketeer and recalled it just in time to block three simultaneous sword strikes. Her blade locked, Ryan took the opportunity to teleport to the musketeer and slit his throat. Out of nowhere, three swashbuckler's entered combat and charged Ryan. The assassin dodged and prepared to attack, but by the time his gauntlets were out, they were gone. The same happened again: they attacked, they disappeared.

 _Damn. They're fast._ Ryan remembered that he had Pegasus in his pocket. He quickly pulled out the matrix and placed it on his wrist. An electrical impulse flowed through Ryan's body as Pegasus bonded with him.

"User confirmed," a female voice spoke, "Hello, Witty Ryan Dodger. My name is Pegasus." A blue winged horse appeared over Ryan's left shoulder.

"Nice to meet you," Ryan greeted. "I need your help."

"Dark swashbuckler coming on your right in two seconds." Ryan drew his sword and slashed to his left at the time specified. A streak of red flew through the air, blood. A lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

"That was fast."

"I think it's best not to waste time," Pegasus responded. "Two more swashbucklers coming up on either side. I suggest a spinning slash." Ryan did as suggested and the final two assailants fell. "I am aware of your duplication powers." Pegasus relayed a plan to Ryan and he prepared to execute it.

* * *

"Flint will not take us down!" Peyton pushed the three swords away, breaking their blade lock. One dark pirate got lucky and managed to give her a long gash on her left leg. Wounded, she kneeled on the ground.

"Hey, assholes," a voice shouted, "Over here!" The dark pirates turned and Peyton saw Ryan standing unarmed.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Ryan gave a small wink as the three dark privateers attempted to catch him in a rush. Ryan didn't move as they attacked. Their blades pierced his body, blood seeping from his wounds. Ryan gasped for air as he felt the color drain from his face. Then, he smiled.

"Better luck next time." The dark pirates turned just in time to see Ryan's face as he cut them down. "That was a good plan, Pegasus." Ryan's fake disappeared and the three swords fell to the ground. He shook the blood from his sword and sheathed it. "Peyton, are you alright?" Ryan rushed over to the privateer. She was holding her hand over the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Got my leg pretty good, but I think I'll live." Ryan embraced her, holding her close in a tight grip.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"It's nothing, really. You only saved my life twice in the past week." The sound of sparkthrowers in the distance brought them back to reality. "We need to get somewhere safe so I can heal, then we need to find out where everyone is." Ryan lifted her up to her feet and put her arm over his shoulder.

"I've never teleported someone injured so it may hurt a bit." Peyton braced herself as Ryan's purple aura shimmered over them. They found themselves outside of the Council building. People in the streets were panicking as dark pirates came from every direction on the Isle of Dogs. Peyton screamed in pain.

"Okay, let's not do that again," Peyton groaned through gritted teeth. Ryan located a nearby building and kicked the door in. The tenants were terrified as the pirates entered their home.

"Please, don't make us travel out there. She's injured," Ryan begged as he gestured to Peyton's wounded leg. A small pup tugged on her mother's leg, concern in her eyes. The mother led them to a couch in their living room. Ryan carried Peyton over and laid her on the couch. "You're going to stay here and rest, I'll make sure everyone's alright."

"You can't go out there alone." Ryan took Peyton's face in his hands and kissed her. As their faces separated, Ryan smiled.

"You know I'll come back. I have to finish what I started." Ryan teleported away, leaving Peyton blushing on the couch.

* * *

"Jordan, are you alright?" Bonnie helped her girlfriend up from the ground.

"Never better," the buccaneer replied. She drew her scythe as she saw a dark pirate sneaking up behind Bonnie. The blade swung through air as Bonnie ducked to avoid being hit.

"I guess you were right: We don't get breaks." Bonnie drew her rifle and shot a dark pirate that was entering from one of the upper windows. "We need to regroup and protect the council."

"Why should we help those idiots?"  
"Because if we do, it may just guarantee their help." Jordan pulled her scythe's blade out of a dark pirate's shoulder.

"Damn it, I hate it when you're right."

"Part of the reason you love me." Bonnie changed her weapon to a hammer and started knocking the large chunks of marble away, giving them access to the rest of the council chambers. As Bonnie gave another swing at a particularly large chunk of marble, Jordan could make out the sound of a piece of metal clattering to the ground.

"Hello! Anyone there?" Jordan turned around to see an injured Lenora, holding onto her side, limping toward them.

"Oh, my god. Lenora, what happened?" Jordan tried to support her, but Lenora waved her away.

"A large piece of the ceiling fell down between me and Adam. I jumped out of the way, but there was a bomb attached to it. It went off and sent me flying into a wall. I'll be fine, but I lost my weapons." Jordan took a pistol off her belt and gave it to Lenora.

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here." Bonnie broke through the wall and changed back to her rifle. "Good work, Bonnie."

"Come on, let's get the council and get out of here."

"Who goes there?" Ulysses had his bow strung and aimed at the three pirates.

"Whoa there, U. It's us." Bonnie held her hands up, her rifle still in her hand. "Bonnie, Jordan, and Lenora." Lenora aimed her gun at Ulysses.

"And we're here to say goodbye." She pulled the trigger, but was met with a fizzle as the weapon failed to fire. "What the hell?"

"Looking for these?" Jordan held a clip of spark bullets in her hand. "Gun's empty, _Gareth_." The witchdoctor shapeshifted back to his normal form.

"How'd you know?"

"Lenora has golden energy powers now," Bonnie stated, "She'd never be injured as badly as you were. The first step in identity theft is to know who you're impersonating." Jordan looked at Bonnie, surprised. "I wasn't with Adam for all my life. I have a lot of stories to tell you." Bonnie aimed her rifle at Gareth and quickly shifted to a spark launcher. She fired as the dark pirate started to flee. Jordan stabbed her scythe into the ground, creating a sheet of ice on the ground, freezing Gareth in place as the spark launcher collided with his body. The witchdoctor flew into the wall, unconscious.

"For a dark pirate, he's not the most effective opponent," Ulysses chuckled.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

* * *

 _Gotta keep moving._ Mary smashed her staff into the ground and sent a shockwave across the room, shifting the rocks in front of her. She heard a scream and ran to the voice. "Whoever you are, are you alright?" Lenora walked out from the dust.

"You're lucky that I activated my golden shield in time. Didn't feel a thing."

"Sorry." Mary leaned on her knees. "I haven't found anyone yet. Crew or council."

"Good. Time for some fun." A dark blue raven flew into the area and transformed into Hannah. "Hello, sister." Her dark blue hair was more frayed than it had been at their last meeting.

"Hannah," Mary gasped, "What happened to you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," the elder witchdoctor laughed, "I've gone through more than you could imagine to gain this power!" Hannah drew her sword, a dark blue hue surrounding the blade. "If only you had joined me, we could rule by Flint's side together; as family. You threw that away. Just like Adam!" She pointed her sword at Lenora. "I'm going to enjoy carving out that pretty face of yours." Lenora drew her own sword and activated her right claw.

"That's not gonna happen," the swashbuckler stated. Mary drew her pistol. "I'll hold her off. You take shots where you can."

"I'll try not to hit you, but you need to be extra careful. I don't know if she still has poison in her blade or not."

"Don't worry. I've got my golden aura."

* * *

"Riley!" Brave began to sift through the rubble, Mycroft Bones and Queen Eleanor following close behind him. "Somebody! Anybody!" Brave reeled back his clockwork arm and smashed an opening through a tough piece of marble. Brave found two pistols on the other side. Both had full clips of ammo. He tossed one to the Monquistan Queen. "Do you know how to use it?"

"I know how to protect myself," she retorted. She extracted the clip, checking its capacity, and released the safety. "Let's get moving."

"How come I don't get a weapon?" Mycroft stepped over a large slab of marble, following his fellow council members.

"Well, for one, Eleanor hasn't put a good man in prison," Brave quipped, "And two, I trust you about as much as I trust Flint." A dark pirate came into Brave's sights and went down just as fast. "Could you have made that shot?" Mycroft took a deep breath and relented. "Now that we have that out of the way, let's go." Brave led the way and saw Blaze and Gracie standing their ground against ten dark buccaneers. Brave and Eleanor opened fire and took out six of their opponents. Blaze slammed his golden arm into a buccaneer's jaw and Gracie followed through with a whack to the knee from her wrench. Blaze stabbed his sword into another opponent's chest. Blaze turned and saw Brave and the other council members.

"Thanks for the assist." Blaze created a ball of electricity in his hand and threw it and one of the last remaining dark buccaneers, stunning him and giving Gracie ample opportunity to attack. "Any sign of the others?"

"Not a one," Brave answered. The sound of falling stone drew their attention as Ford broke through a slab of marble.

"BRAVE!" The Rajan foot soldier's armor was covered in white dust from the broken stone. In his right hand, he held Riley by her neck. The young musketeer struggled to break free of his grasp. Sigma floated by Riley's head. "We have a score to settle."

"Let her go," Brave demanded, aiming his pistol at Ford. The personality matrix laughed.

"Why would we do that? She's our leverage against you." Ford's grip tightened, making Riley gasp for air. "Brave girl. She was trying to help Emmanuel. Such a shame she couldn't get him out from that giant piece of marble. He should be dead by now." The two warriors circled around, sizing each other up.

"Taking a hostage and leaving innocents to die. I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from Rajah's fallen son," Brave quipped. "You were the best of us and you betrayed your people."

"I'll do whatever it takes to survive. Even if I have to betray everyone I know, I'll still-" Sigma and Ford were interrupted by a piercing sensation in Ford's right shoulder blade. A loud cracking sound rang out and Ford reached for the injury, pulling out a white unicorn horn.

"Valencia stands with Skull Island," Emmanuel, his horn now broken, huffed. Ratbeard and Morgan stood by his side, covered in white dust. Ratbeard's aura charged up and the ground began to shake. Morgan aimed his rifle and shot Ford's right hand, dropping Riley. As his daughter scrambled away, Brave took the opportunity and slammed his metal fist into Ford's face.

"You want to settle the score. Come on, let's settle this!" Brave shot his pistol, hitting Ford in his left ankle. The warrior stood back up and slammed his fist into Brave's stomach. "You'll have to do better than that," the sniper chuckled. Brave picked up a fallen privateer's sword and used the blade to block Ford's next strike from above. "I never did like blades." Ford pulled out his large kurghan blade and slashed down only to be blocked by Brave's sword.

* * *

"Adam, are you alright?" Sirena helped up the pirate captain.

"A little banged up, but I'm alright." Adam brushed away the dust and readied his pistols. "We need to find everyone and get out." Two dark buccaneers sauntered up to the pair.

"Well, well, well. Look what the rat dragged in," one chuckled. He licked his lips. "Flint said we'd find some easy prey, but I didn't think we'd find the leader of Skull Island." He drew an oversized hammer and hefted it onto his shoulder. Boulder is ready to introduce you to oblivion." Before the buccaneer could move an inch, Adam placed a spark bullet right between his eyes.

"I swear, these guys spend more time practicing their evil speeches than they do fighting," Sirena complained. She threw a knife at the other buccaneer, slicing her throat open.

"Impressive," a dark voice complimented, "Almost as good as if I had done it myself." Flint floated down to the ground, propelled by his dark aura.

"Flint," Adam growled.

"I'm impressed. I'd have thought you'd be dead by now. I never expected you to get this far in the fight."

"Yeah," Adam chuckled, "I've been told I'm harder to kill than a cockroach." The musketeer aimed his pistols at Flint.

"I can see why. You are incredibly resilient." Flint drew his jet-black sword. "Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end."

 _The place where all good things die._ Adam drew his sword. "The father shall fall with the fallen son, I know."

"I don't put much stock in prophecies, but I believe that it is how this fight will end." Unexpectedly, Flint sheathed his sword. "So, I'll let it play out. I have what I wanted anyway." In a burst of dark energy, Flint disappeared. Adam shot into the dark cloud, but it was too late; Flint was gone.

"Damn it!" Adam smashed his metal fist into a fallen wall. "We need to hurry and get everyone out of here."

"Adam!" The musketeer turned to the voice calling his name and saw Ryan teleporting back to the fight.

"Where have you been?"

"Evacuating everyone I can. Peyton's injured, but I got her out. I ran into Able and Archangel; they got the Mooshu emperor and the Cool Ranch representative out. Most of the dark pirates have started to flee. I think we're winning this." Adam nodded and followed Ryan to find the stragglers. The sound of sword's clashing followed by a thud caught the pirates' attention and they could see Brave and Ford fighting on top of a large piece of marble.

"You betrayed my home!" Brave cut off Ford's right index finger. "You attacked my friends!" The musketeer stabbed the sword into Ford's leg and twisted. "And you threatened my family!" He severed Ford's right arm from his body. "I gave you every chance and you never took it. I'm not letting you hurt anyone anymore!" Brave stabbed the sword in Ford's chest, between his heart and lungs. "You die." Brave collapsed to the ground. Riley rushed over to her dad and helped him up.

"He's dead. Let's get out of here." Brave leaned a little on Riley's shoulder as the two started to walk away from the fallen warrior's body.

"It's not over," a static filled voice stated. Sigma blinked in and out over Ford's corpse. "Initiating final gambit." Brave heard the sound of a fuse burning and immediately pushed Riley as far as he could, out of the blast radius. The blast sent the sniper into the wall past his daughter, his mechanical arm disintegrating and filling his body with shrapnel. Unconscious, the sniper's body started to bleed from his newly formed wounds. Riley got to her feet and ran to her dad.

"Dad!" Instinctively, the musketeer ripped off her left sleeve and began to put pressure on his wounds.

"Ryan, find Bonnie or Mary or _someone_ with medical expertise," Adam ordered. Ryan took off, teleporting through the room as best he could in the confined space. Eleanor saw a piece of Ford's armor on the ground and spat on it before kicking it across the room.

"Rajah's fallen son. I hope he rots in Darkmoor." Hearing Eleanor's words made Adam recall Cole's prophecy.

 _The father shall fall with the fallen son._ Adam ran to Brave. _He didn't mean me or Blaze and Flint. He meant Brave and Ford!_ He started to lift Brave off the ground. "Come on, Riley. We're getting your dad out of here." The two musketeers dragged Brave out of the rubble that was the council chamber. Ryan teleported outside to meet them with Bonnie, Jordan, and Mary, who now had a large gash covering her face, in tow. Bonnie and Jordan got to work on stabilizing Brave, but, as soon as the witchdoctor saw Adam, Mary became frantic.

"I'm so sorry, Adam. I'm so sorry! It should have been me. I was with Lenora! I should have fought harder. It's all my fault!"

"Slow down. Where's Lenora?" Mary stared at Adam, mouth agape. "Mary. What happened?"

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

"Agh!" Lenora gently gripped her shoulder as Hannah's blade pierced her body. The witchdoctor attacked again and slashed her left leg followed by a piercing attack to her abdomen. Lenora felt her body start to shut down.

"Can you feel it yet, Lenora?" Hannah strode up to the swashbuckler. "Can you feel your body's desire to sleep?" She smushed the young redhead's face in her left hand. "You and I, we're going to have so much fun together."

"No!" Mary shot Hannah in her shoulder, stunning the fellow witchdoctor. Lenora fell to the ground, unconscious. "You're not killing her." Hannah slashed her sword across Mary's face, a mark trailing diagonally from her right lower lip to her left ear. Mary held her face in her hands. She could already feel her mind slipping away.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill her." Hannah sheathed her sword. "This blade didn't have poison. It's imbued with a light sedative concoction. It's the same one your being affected by now." Mary stepped forward, every step making her more tired. "Flint and I have plans for her. You'll just have to wait and see."

"No. This isn't happening." Mary fell to the ground and struggled to crawl to Lenora. "This isn't happening." Hannah drew her staff and slammed it into the ground, transforming into a giant Raven. Her talons wrapped around Lenora's body and she carried her off into the air, fleeing from the rubble. "No." Mary's eyes closed, enveloped with sleep.

* * *

"What?!" Anger flared in Adam's eyes.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault," Mary repeated over and over again. Adam turned away from the witchdoctor and everyone looking over Brave. He saw a cluster of dark pirates and drew his sword.

 _I have what I wanted anyway._ Adam yelled as he decapitated one opponent and stabbed another in the chest. He had only one goal: Kill anyone in his way. The musketeer drew a pistol and shot three dark musketeers in the head. He took out one of his custom bombs and threw it into the air. The shrapnel scattered into the crowd, injuring many. Adam activated his golden shield to protect himself from his creation. He put up his weapons and drew his staff. He slammed it into the ground and several ghost rats rose up and dragged his opponents to the spirit world.

"Adam, that's enough." Able rushed to catch up to the musketeer. Adam redrew his sword and struck down another dark swashbuckler.

"Stay out of my way, Able."

"No. You need to stop." Adam drew his pistol and shot a privateer in the leg. She began crawling to get away, but Adam shot her in the other leg and her right arm.

"I'm just getting started." Adam raised his sword, ready to slash down.

"No!" Able's body opened up, a chamber big enough for a person to fit. He wrapped his body around Adam, locking him inside.

"What are you doing?" Adam tried to move, but Able's body molded with his own, preventing movement.

"Stopping you. Look around!" Adam peered his eyes through Able's faceplate, gazing upon the death and destruction he'd caused.

"What have I done?" Able let Adam out, the musketeer falling to his knees. "I promised… I promised myself that she wouldn't get hurt. I would protect her."

"We'll get her back, Adam," Sirena promised. "Flint didn't just take your girlfriend; he took my daughter and, for that, he'll pay."

"Mary said that Flint had plans for her. I don't even want to think about what he has in store for her." Adam stood up. "I have to save her."


	25. Chapter 24 Honor to the End

Ch. 24 Honor to the End

"How's he doing?" Mycroft walked into the hospital on the Isle of Dogs.

"The shrapnel," Bonnie stated, "Pierced too many vital organs. He doesn't have long left." The dog surveyed the room. Mary and Adam were mysteriously absent.

"Where is Ms. Winchester? Kenner? And Captain Silver?"

"Mary locked herself in her office. She hasn't stopped her ramblings since we got her out of the rubble." Ryan leaned in the doorway to the wards. "Peyton is in one of the wards, getting her wounds treated. Adam is standing outside of Brave's room. You weren't about to talk to him, were you?"

"I need to make things right… before it's too late," the dog admitted. Ryan pushed himself off the door frame.

"I'll talk to him first. Keep him calm." Ryan went through the winding halls of the hospital until he found Brave's room. Sure enough, Adam stood outside, staring at the door. "Last time I checked, none of us had telekinetic powers." That got a small chuckle from Adam's throat. The smile quickly disappeared from Adam's face. "I'm sorry about Lenora."

"Today is my birthday," Adam said.

"Well … Happy Birthday."

"Yeah, thanks." Adam looked down. "I never really made a big deal about it. I mean, I'd remember it, but I never had anyone make a fuss. Yesterday, Lenora reminded me that it was today and asked me what I wanted." Adam reached into his pocket. "I told her that I had one idea. I was going to ask her today." He pulled out a small black box and opened it. A silver ring with a swirling red and gold pearl rested in the center. "I wanted her to marry me." Ryan stared at the ring.

"Adam, I'm so sorry."

"I thought I was crazy, but after everything that's happened, I know it. She's the one." Adam put the box back in his pocket. "Flint took that from me. I'm not going to let him take anything like that from anyone anymore." Adam took a deep breath and faced Ryan. "Anyway, you obviously have something you need to talk about."

"Yeah, it's kind of important. Mycroft is here." At the mention of the dog's name, Adam turned away from the swashbuckler. "I know you don't like him, but he needs to talk to you and I think you should listen."

"Why should I? He didn't listen to me when we needed help."

"Because I was wrong." Adam turned to face Mycroft Bones. "I was a weak-willed fool who thought neutrality could save my people. I made too many mistakes to make up for, but I'll do my best to make it right." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Adam. The musketeer took the paper reluctantly and read over it. "It's time the good admiral got back into the fight." Adam gently folded the paper and handed it back to Mycroft.

"It's a start." Mycroft saluted the pirate and walked away. Silently, Adam opened the door to Brave's room and entered. Riley was seated in a chair by Brave's bed, her hands grasping Brave's mechanical arm.

"I still remember," Brave coughed, "The first time I held you in my arms." Tears flowed down the sniper's face. "The first time I looked in your eyes, I could see it and I told your mother, 'This girl's going to be a fighter.'" Riley gave a chuckle. "I'm so proud of you, Riley."

"I can't do this without you, dad." Riley stood up. "I could give you your powers back. You could be alright."

"I didn't have healing powers. Besides that, the transfer would strain your body to its limits. You're the one thing I have that's worth dying for."

"Brave, I'm so sorry," Adam apologized.

"Don't be. I knew what I was getting into when I joined up with you." Brave went into a fit of coughing. "Ford always was a piece of shit, even before he betrayed us. He didn't even try to keep his honor intact. At least Pedro gave redemption a chance." Brave coughed again. "This is it, isn't it?" Brave stared at the ceiling. "This is the end."

"You should have had a life after this war." Adam slammed his fist into the wall. "It should have been me."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we found Cole, he recited a prophecy. ' _The father shall fall with the fallen son. Only then will the dark days be done.'_ I thought it would be me and Flint or Blaze and Flint, but it was talking about you and Ford."

"Well, then there's three things you need to do." Brave sat up as best he could in his condition. "Make that bastard pay for all of the deaths he's caused and bring Lenora home safely."

"You can count on it. What else?"

"Riley," the sniper looked to his daughter, "Doesn't have any real family left. I lost track of her uncle after a while. He just went off the map." He turned back to Adam. "Take care of her. Keep her safe for me."

"Brave, I can't be her dad."

"I'm not asking you to replace me," Brave interrupted. "Just, be there for her. Support her. She doesn't need a new dad; she needs a friend." Brave looked at Riley and pushed her fallen hair out of her eyes. "You have your mother's eyes, you know." Riley held her dad's hand tighter.

"Please, don't go. Don't die." Brave reached his left hand to his mechanical arm and detached it. He reached over and touched her face with his own flesh.

"I don't want to go either, Riley, but I don't have a choice anymore. I'm going to see your mother and Will again, but I'll miss you." Brave laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes. "I'll always be in your corner, Riley. Don't you _ever_ forget that." A final gasp escaped Brave's mouth then nothing. Riley's sobs filled the room. Adam moved to the young musketeer and wrapped his arms around her.

"I just want him back."

* * *

"We are gathered here today to honor three valiant souls who gave their lives to defend their homes and those they loved." Adam, standing in front of three burial plots, stood before of a large crowd. Pirates, Kurghans, and Marleybonians alike had gathered to attend the ceremony. "These three pirates made sacrifices that very few would be willing to make." The first plot had a red and purple gravestone. "I never got to know Kristen Minx, but she gave her life trying to escape Flint and join our cause. Because of her, we were able to reclaim Port Regal. Skull Island now has a foothold in our home because of her." The second grave was black in color with yellow outlining the stone. "I only spoke to Cole Strong twice. In our final meeting, he gave me a warning about what Flint was planning. He resisted Gareth every step of the way during his imprisonment. From what his former crew member," Adam gestured to Peyton, "Clever Peyton Kenner has told me, he was a skilled witchdoctor that could control spirits on a whim. The entire Spiral is lesser for his loss." The final grave had an admiral's hat on the top with a medal hanging below it. There was an inscription on the gravestone, reading, ' _Brave Alaric Bellamy. Admiral, pirate, sniper, husband, father, friend.'_ "Admiral Brave Alaric Bellamy. He never asked for his position; he earned it. I have never known anyone braver than a man who went by the name 'Brave.' Brave gave his life to end the life of a man who killed millions simply to survive. He died protecting the one thing he loved the most: his daughter, Riley. There are only a few musketeers that I'd have wanted to watch my back and Brave was number one on that list. Skull Island will miss him, but, more importantly, his daughter will miss him." Riley walked up to her father's grave. "He was brave, and kind, and smart. Even when he lost his arm, he proved that he wouldn't let a missing limb stop him from helping those he loved. He wouldn't let himself die a broken man. He truly lived up to his name: Brave." Riley kneeled and set a single rose on his grave marker.

"Goodbye, dad."

* * *

"You missed a great ceremony," Adam stated. Mary sat huddled in the far corner of her office. "You can't stay like this forever."

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault."

"You need to stop that."

"It's all my fault."

"Mary," Adam stated, agitation rising, "Please stop that."

"It's all my fault."

"God, damn it, Mary!" Adam went over to the witchdoctor and raised her from the ground. "Snap out of it!"

"It's all my fault."

"No, it's not!" Adam shook his friend. "It was _not_ your fault."

"B-Bu-But," Mary stuttered, "I let Hannah get a hold of Lenora. You shouldn't even be talking to me."

"You didn't want Lenora to be captured. You tried to save her. That's what makes you different from Hannah. You didn't let the past affect you now. Hannah, she's let her hate and old grudges become who she is now. You let it go." Adam wiped the tears from Mary's face. "You didn't want Lenora to go, but I can't get her back without your help." Mary shook her head.

"I wasn't strong enough, but I'll do my best to help you."

"It really was a beautiful ceremony," a voice spoke. Adam and Mary turned to face Jinx. "Thank you for making sure my wife was honored."

"I'm glad you could see it, even if you couldn't be seen by the public. How'd you get in here, anyway?" Jillian smiled.

"I had some help." A one-armed dog in blue admiral attire entered the room.

"Nelson!" Adam saluted the dog admiral.

"It feels good to be out of prison." The admiral's smile disappeared. "I am sorry about Admiral Brave. He was a good man."

"Wait, how'd you know that Jillian was with us?"

"I didn't at first, but Brave visited me a couple of times after your attack on Port Regal. Flint should be wary of you."

"Which brings me to why I'm here," Jillian chimed in, "Saving Lenora won't be as easy as you thought."

"What do you mean?" Jillian didn't say a word. Instead, she set out a holo device on the floor.

"I was supposed to leave this in your apartment for you to find, but I'm not doing that. I'm not Gareth." The small triangle glowed to life.

* * *

 _"Are we ready to begin? Gareth? Hannah? Tauros?" Flint walked to a table and raised it so it stood straight up. On the table lay Lenora. The swashbuckler struggled against her restraints._

 _"As soon as Adam finds me, you're dead. Actually, scratch that. As soon as_ I'm _out of here, you're dead."_

 _"Aw, how cute. You actually think you have a chance for escape." Flint lightly slapped Lenora's right cheek. "Gareth, administer the first dose." The witchdoctor stuck a needle into Lenora's arm. Lenora felt a dark presence flow through her body. "Who are you?" Lenora spat in the dark pirate's face._

 _"Go fuck yourself!" There was static then the image returned. Lenora's body was covered in bruises and cuts. Her veins were a noticeable black color. "Who … Who am I?"_

 _"Why," Flint chuckled, "You're Phoenix. The dark firebird. You're one of my top lieutenants." Lenora shook her head._

 _"No. I'm not. I'm Red Lenora Noble."_

 _"Such a shame," Flint stated, "You were doing so well." The image cut out again and returned. This time Lenora was no longer strapped to the table. She rested in a chair, head lowered. "Now, tell me: Who are you?" Lenora raised her head._

 _"My name is Phoenix. I am the dark firebird." Flint slowly circled around her._

 _"And, who do you serve?" Lenora's eyes followed Flint._

 _"I live to serve Dark Flint Silver."_

 _"And who," Flint goaded, "Do you hate?" Lenora stared into empty space._

 _"Merciless Adam Silver. And_ all _of Skull Island." Flint smiled._

 _"There you have it, nephew. She's mine now. All mine. The next move is yours. I look forward to it."_

* * *

"Adam?" Adam stared at the holo device, the image long gone by now. Mary touched his metal shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

"What the fuck did he do?"

"Dark yum," Jillian answered, "Flint discovered that it has certain properties that have mental control. His own dark energy allows him to detect those affected by dark yum, but he injected Lenora with his own concoction. He's brainwashed her, much like he did with Kyle." Adam held his hands to his face, covering his mouth as he paced around. "The only way Kyle could prevent further control was death. That may be the only way to free Lenora."

"No," Adam yelled. "I'm not doing that."

"You may not have a choice," Jillian argued. "It's only been two days, but she truly believes in Flint's cause and will do anything she's ordered to do, even kill you." Not wanting to hear anymore, Adam rushed past Jillian and Nelson, leaving the room.

* * *

"Adam, are you in here?" Blaze made his way to the lower decks of the Golden Archer. Adam sat at the work bench on the far side of the deck. A red glow illuminated the space around him. Blaze went toward the light and Adam. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better now." Adam moved out of the way. Blaze studied the hologram.

"A personality matrix."

"She said she didn't want power because she craved it; she wanted it to protect others." A dragon-shaped tattoo appeared on Adam's neck. "She's selfless and noble. She doesn't let anything stop her from helping others." Adam stood up. "Lenora touched Draco by accident when we were leaving the Golden Archer the night before the meeting with the Spiral Council. Draco adopted her selflessness. That's his personality." Blaze took Adam's hand.

"We're going to get her back." Adam gripped Blaze's hand tighter.

"I'm going to fight like hell for the chance to hold her again."

* * *

 **A.N.: I hate writing character deaths, but I hated writing Lenora's brainwashing even more. For now, we say goodbye to Brave and Lenora, and welcome the Phoenix into the fold. The epilogue is short, but fitting. Enjoy it, and enjoy the prologue for Book 6.**


	26. Epilogue

Epilogue

"The die is cast. Your move, Merciless Adam Silver."


End file.
